


The Trifecta

by surveycorpsjean



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Light Bondage, Multi, Polyamory, Threesome - M/M/M, terubokuroo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-05-31 17:03:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6478603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surveycorpsjean/pseuds/surveycorpsjean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It only took an ass grab, two black eyes, and a couple beers for them to realize how cute Terushima actually is. </p><p>So Kuroo tightens his grip around Bokuto and grins. </p><p>Because teasing is what he does best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i started this a long time ago, but I finally started working on it. 
> 
> idk i just love the idea of this ship so much h e l p me

This wasn't how Kuroo’s evening was supposed to go.

He was supposed to get drunk, dance, and probably have super awesome mind-blowing sex with his boyfriend.

But instead, he’s here, pressing a cold icepack against Bokuto’s swollen cheek.

“I could’ve-“

“ _Don’t_ speak.” Kuroo spits, totally annoyed by now. Kuroo can deal with getting kicked out of the party. That’s, you know, whatever. They’ll be back next week anyways and nobody will remember.

He’s just so _pissed_ that Bokuto ended up getting hurt.

“I could’ve taken him.” Bokuto says anyways. “You should have let me go.”

Kuroo rolls his eyes, “Are you kidding me? He whooped your ass.” 

“He did _not._ ”

“Oh, he definitely did. He got you twice in the face before you even had the mind to flinch.”

Bokuto pauses, and recoils when Kuroo presses the icepack up against his swollen eye. Bokuto looks like hell, and it makes Kuroo kind of want to cry.

Bokuto sighs, “He was so much shorter than me though! I how did he even reach my face?”

“Only by a couple inches.”

 “Like what was he, five foot?”

“Bo.”

“What was he, five foot?” Bokuto repeats again, and Kuroo sighs. He pulls the icepack away from Bokuto’s swollen face, before he reaches down to Bokuto’s knuckles, where they’re already beginning to turn purple.

“Dude, you can’t go around picking fights. We’re a year away from graduation.”

“I didn’t pick shit!” Bokuto yells, but lets Kuroo dote over his hand. “He was the one who grabbed your ass!”

“Dude, we’re in college. Everyone is always grabbing someone’s ass.”

“But he grabbed your ass _while I was already grabbing your ass!”_ Bokuto cries. “I had to do something!”

“My hero.” Kuroo rolls his eyes, and reaches for the anti-bacterial spray. “That doesn’t give you an excuse to punch him.”

Bokuto opens his mouth to reply, but hisses at the sting of the spray. Kuroo is quick to wrap his hands in bandages, bringing his hand to his lips, and blowing, just to send the sting away.

“He had it coming though.” Bokuto replies, “He’s such a little shit! Did you know that last week he filled my backpack with peanut butter?”

“I did, in fact know that.” Kuroo says smoothly, “Because I was the one that cleaned out your backpack after you cried.”

“I did _not_ cry.”

“So your eyes were just sweating then?”

Bokuto sniffs, and watches Kuroo finish wrapping his hand. He sniffs again, “I really liked that backpack…”

“I know you did, babe.” Kuroo says, and Bokuto’s eyes look up at the nickname. They’re still a little drunk- but have sobered up considerably, since that frat house threw them out of the party.

Bokuto’s eyes are big, and very pretty, and Kuroo really likes them a lot- but he sees that large bruise, and a sick feeling settles in his stomach.

“No more punching people.” Kuroo waves his finger in Bokuto’s face, and watches his pupils dilate into focus. Bokuto nods, a little cross eyed now, and Kuroo smiles. He gently reaches forwards, and presses a soft kiss against the lips he knows so well. Bokuto grins, more than happy to kiss him back.

* * *

“Kuroo. _Kuroo._ Kuroo-“

“What, what?” Kuroo looks up from his phone, and desperately looks around them. They’re eating lunch in the courtyard of the school. It’s actually quite nice outside, but Bokuto’s shiner is almost brighter than the actual sun.

“Terushima! Look!”

Kuroo looks up, and sees the little asshole talking with his friends. He sighs, and goes back to his phone, “Don’t even think about it.”

 “I’m not thinking anything!”

“I know.”

“Hey!”

Kuroo laughs, and bumps their shoulders together, “I said no more fighting.”  

“I know, I know.” Bokuto grins, and leans up against Kuroo. Its soon silent again, and Kuroo goes back to looking at his phone.

“Dammit…” Bokuto mumbles, “Why does that guy have so many friends?”

Kuroo doesn’t look up, but says, “He’s always been popular. Don’t act like it’s a surprise.”

“But _why?!_ ” Bokuto blinks, “I mean, we’ve got a pretty big group of buds ourselves, but like, we’re _decent people._ ”

“Are we?”

“And I’m pretty sure he’s just one hundred percent evil.” Bokuto stares, and watches Terushima laugh.

“He’s a partier.” Kuroo shrugs.

“I could totally out-drink him.”

“Dude, you totally could, but please don’t.”

Bokuto laughs, and reaches for his lunch once more. “You always got my back, bro.”

“Love you.” Kuroo responds automatically, and Bokuto grins.

They settle into another comfortable silence, but Kuroo doesn’t expect it to last long. They’re both big talkers, so Kuroo isn’t surprised when Bokuto gasps;

“Kuroo!”

“Hmm?”

“He’s walking over here!”

“ _What?_ ” Kuroo jumps, and turns his eyes up and across the field and -yep. Terushima is definitely headed their way. “Fuck.”

“Should we leave?” Bokuto wiggles, and Kuroo hesitates.

“Uhh…no.  If he tries to touch you I’ll just have to kill him.”

Bokuto looks pleasantly surprised at that, and turns his attention forwards. Terushima waves- _fucking waves?-_ and stops a couple feet away from their bench. There’s a nice bruise on his right cheek, and Kuroo feels a little bit of satisfaction from that. His hair looks different than before- he must’ve gotten his undercut shaved down again. His eyes are big and gold, and they are horribly suspicious.

“Hey!”

“What do you want?” Kuroo stares.

Terushima lifts his hands up defensively, and grins, “Hey now, I’m not trying to pick a fight.”

“Really.” Kuroo blinks, and sticks an arm out in front of Bokuto.

“Yeah, I actually wanted to shake your hand, dude.” Terushima laughs, and Kuroo spots a tongue piercing. “You have a mean right hook! My face hurts like hell. Major respect.”

 _Fuck._ Kuroo thinks, and looks over at Bokuto.

Of course, Bokuto is _ecstatic,_ and happily shakes his hand. “No way! Really? My face hurts too!”

Kuroo stares, completely dumbfounded, but…actually not that surprised.

Bokuto was just spouting on and on about how much he hated this guy, but a few nice words, and Bokuto has already forgiven him. It’s an adorable trait, but at times like these, it gives Kuroo a headache.

“Really? Dude, we’re totally matching bruises.”

“Bro, we are!” Bokuto laughs, “You gotta’ tell me how you punch so fast.”

“Well,” Terushima begins, but Kuroo finally comes back to the real world.

“ _Babe._ ” Kuroo hisses, and Bokuto looks up, “Are you serious?”

“What?” Bokuto blinks.

“Look, dude.” Kuroo glares up at the man standing, “No offense, but also offense, because you punched my boyfriend.” He then turns back to Bokuto, “You can’t trust him!! Are you fucking serious?”

“Hey!”

“But he said I punch good.” Bokuto furrows his white eyebrows.

“I cannot believe you.”

“Hey, honestly. No hard feelings.” Terushima sticks out his hand to Kuroo, who then stares at it like its poisoned. There’s no shock buzzer strapped to his palm, or snake in his extra hand, but he still refuses.

“Terushima, last night you grabbed my ass and punched Bokuto in the face. The week _before_ you trashed his backpack, and the week before _that_ you pushed me into a pool.”

“Okay, well, _three_ of those four things were dares.” Terushima laughs.

Kuroo raises an eyebrow, “Then why the hell do your asshole friends keep coming after us?”

“Er…” Terushima blinks, and Kuroo thinks he might be blushing- but his normal grin comes back tenfold, “No reason! But if you’re butthurt, I can totally apologize or something.”

“Hm.” Kuroo says, and ignores Bokuto’s gaze. “What do you want from us?”

“What?”

“I said what do you want?”

“Nothing, dude.” Terushima scowls, “Don’t be such an ass.”

“Are you serious-“

“We forgive you!” Bokuto butts in, and pushes Kuroo back down to the bench. “Totally.”

Terushima looks between them both, and smiles, “Cool. Johzenji is throwing a party next week. You guys in?”

Bokuto says _“Hell yeah-“_

But Kuroo says, “Depends. You gonna’ punch him again?”

Terushima laughs, “Nah, but I can’t promise I won’t grab your ass.”

* * *

 

They see him in passing, mostly.

Terushima is a strange creature; he’d always just been a name he heard in passing, until these incidents started happening.

Which were apparently all dares.

This just does not make any sense. Bokuto and Kuroo are a year older than him, and their friend circles hardly interact. They’re friends with other fraternities; Karasuno, Nekoma, Fukurodani- they’re all respectful frats, that can throw down, but also have strong morals.

Johzenji was just a group of people they never really bothered with.

Like, yeah, Kuroo sees Terushima in the cafeteria, or in the hallway, or at parties, but he had _no_ idea what spurred on the sudden…bullying? Could it even be called that? Probably not, because Bokuto and Kuroo are adults- not to mention that he knows at least a dozen people that could probably kick Johzenji’s ass- but that’s beside the point.

It was like this guy came out of nowhere, to slightly annoy them for a few weeks- only to get in a fight with Bokuto, and apologize the next day.

Kuroo is definitely suspicious.

* * *

 

Bokuto’s bruise is almost gone. Of course, he doesn’t really care about how it looks- Kuroo actually pays more  attention to it more than he does.

They walk through the frat house, hands linked together, Kuroo leading them towards the beer. He’s totally ready to drink and forget about classes for a while.

Bokuto is the one to spot Daichi and Suga sitting on a couch, and they try their best to squeeze towards them. Johzenji doesn’t fuck around when it comes to parties- the music is loud, and there’s half-naked people dancing on every surface.

“Hey!” Kuroo half yells over the music, “Didn’t expect to see you guys here.”

“We can say the same for you.” Suga laughs. He’s a giggly drunk, and it’s always been adorable. Daichi has his arm slung around his shoulders, a soft smile resting on his face.

“One of the Johzenji boys invited us.” Kuroo clarifies.

“Terushima!” Bokuto pipes, and takes a shot.

“Really?” Suga blinks. “Huh, we’re just here for the free alcohol.”

“Yep.” Daichi agrees- and they laugh.

“Boookuto.” Suga looks up, “What happened to your face?”

“Hm?” Bokuto touches his cheek, and then grins, “Oh! Terushima punched me.”

Daichi narrows his eyebrows in a _whose ass do I need to kick_ kind of way, and Kuroo rolls his eyes.

“It’s a long story.”

They speak for a while, and it’s actually kind of nice. A drunk girl falls on Daichi’s lap at one point- and Suga about bites her head off- but everything else is fine. An hour passes before Daichi calls it quits, and picks up a wasted Suga in one arm, and waves goodbye with the other.

But at this point, Bokuto and Kuroo are pretty drunk too. It’s fine though- Kuroo has an arm around Bokuto’s shoulders, and Bokuto has a hand wormed around his waist. Bokuto can down a shitload of alcohol before he loses it- but when he does, its _catastrophic._ Kuroo always thought he could party hard, but he's horribly outmatched by Bokuto.  Except now, they're just cuddling together, people watching, and laughing at drunk people as they trip over the bump in the carpet. 

Kuroo hasn’t seen Terushima, but he thinks of that as a good thing.

“My dudes!”

Speak of the devil.

Terushima rounds the couch, and throws out his arm. Bokuto stands up to meet him half way, clapping his hand in his own. You know, the thing straight guys do whenever they see each other- don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.

“Glad you could make it.” Terushima grins. He looks down at the table, and says, “Did you guys do some shots?”

“Fuck yeah we did.” Bokuto grins, and sits back down next to Kuroo.

Terushima nods at Kuroo, and the elder says, “Yo.”

“Heyyy, Teru!” A girl waves from the top of the banister, “Are you coming?”

Terushima looks up, and waits a moment before yelling, “Nah!”

The girl gives a thumbs up, and recedes back onto the top floor.

“What was that?” Kuroo asks, and Terushima takes a seat next to Bokuto.

“She wanted me to join her threesome.” Terushima shrugs, and reaches for one of the fresh beer bottles on the table. He chews on his lip, and says, “Well, she wanted to make it a foursome, anyways.”

“And you said no because…” Bokuto squints, and Terushima laughs, and Kuroo has a hard time looking away from his tongue piercing.

“Eh, I joined last time. I’m good.”

“Fuck, dude.” Kuroo blinks, “Is everything just a party here?”

“Pretty much.” Terushima says, and uses the corner of the coffee table to pop off the cap to his beer. “It’s not that great, though.”

Kuroo is surprised to hear that. “Really?”

“Yeah, my grades are pretty bad.”

“Oh, dude.” Bokuto elbows him, “You should have Kuroo help you! He’s really smart.”

“Bokuto.”

“You are!” Bokuto grins, and turns back to Terushima. “He’s in really hard classes.”

“Really.” Terushima’s eyebrows shoot upwards, and Kuroo scowls.

“What? Did you think I was stupid?”

“A little bit.”

“Hey-“

Suddenly there’s screaming, and Terushima perks up like a dog. He looks over the heads of the students, and grins. “Oh! Be right back. They’re playing a drinking game over there.”

“Take your time.” Kuroo says sarcastically, and watches the younger bounce away.

“I like him.” Bokuto says, blatantly. Terushima dances his way across the room;  there’s six people holding up another, pouring alcohol down his throat. Terushima jumps into the pile, excitedly.

“You literally hated him last week.”

“Yeah, but now I like him.” Bokuto shrugs, “He’s pretty cute, when you get past the whole asshole vibe he gives off.”

Unfortunately, Bokuto is right. There's something about that dyed hair, sharp eyed look. His stature is strong- not as much as Bokuto's but not as slender as Kuroo- and then there's the piercings. They really do work in his favor. 

“You know…you’re always a really good judge of character, and I hate it.” Kuroo growls. Bokuto laughs, cutely, and shifts a little closer to him.

“It’s just an intuition, I guess.”

“What did you first think of me?” Kuroo asks in honest.

Bokuto hums, and slides his arms up and around Kuroo’s neck, “I thought you were a jerk.”

“Rude.” Kuroo teases, and slides closer to him on the couch. Warm hands wrap up and around his waist, pushing up his shirt to feel his back muscles.

“But I also thought you were cute.” Bokuto says, and dips his fingers into Kuroos spine. Kuroo leans down to press a soft kiss against Bokuto’s bruise, before pulling back. “And now I love you, so.”

Kuroo doesn’t say anything back. He grips Boktuo’s waist, and tugs him forwards, forcing them into an open mouthed kiss.

Bokuto tastes like vodka, and, well- Bokuto. It’s a nice taste, and Kuroo could distinguish it blindfolded. He slides his hands up and into Bokuto’s hair and pulls- because he knows he likes it. Their mouths slide together once, twice and finally three times, before Kuroo pulls back to kiss him again. Bokuto is very predictable, but also not, at the same time. Kuroo expects the tongue that slides against his lips, but doesn’t expect hands to slide around his front, and thumb across his nipples. His shirt pools around Bokuto’s hands, and he sighs into the mouth against his own.

Kuroo has half a thought- _aren’t we in public?_ He opens an eye, and looks around. Nobody seems to care; there’s more couples making out across the room, and everyone is too wasted to pay attention to a gay couple on the couch.

He closes his eyes, and tugs on Bokuto’s hair again. His lower lip slides beneath Bokuto’s, sucking on skin, and coming back for that open mouthed kiss. It’s a little dirty, but it’s very _them._ Bokuto presses forwards, hard, teeth pressing against teeth- but it isn’t bad. Their tongues slide together twice, before Kuroo pulls back with a pop, and a gasp. They breathe for one second- before they meet back together.

Kissing Bokuto is like chasing a waterfall; its endless and impossible to reach the end. It’s a continuous loop that sweeps you away, and sometimes, all you can do is hang on.

But Kuroo doesn’t _just_ hang on. He knows Bokuto well- he knows how to control him; he knows how to kiss him senseless.

So he does. He kisses him shamelessly on the couch of that frat house. He swallows up every wet sound, every hum, every gasp Bokuto makes, and he relishes in it.

The back of Kuroo’s neck tingles, and he opens up an eye.

Sure enough, Terushima is standing across the room, a beer in one hand, completely frozen. He’s just staring, wide eyed, as Bokuto and Kuroo inhale each other. His face isn’t disgusted, or confused- it’s flushed, and needy, and suddenly everything makes sense.

Now, Kuroo isn’t a bad guy. He’s actually a very nice person- but he _does_ like pushing buttons. It’s what he excels at.

So he looks Terushima straight in the eye, and shoots him the smuggest look he can muster. Terushima jumps- he doesn’t look so much like a badass partier, but more like a cute underclassmen with a very visible hardon.

Kuroo grins against Bokuto’s lips, pulls on that owl-hair, slides his eyes shut, and sucks on Bokuto’s lower lip.

Yeah, Kuroo likes pushing buttons.

Bokuto gasps into his mouth, and decides that this position isn’t working for him- he slides in between Kuroo’s thighs, and braces his hand on the armrest behind Kuroo’s back. The taller moans, more for show than anything, and opens an eye back up to drink in Terushima’s face.

Kuroo grins.

* * *

 

He’s not sure how they started hanging out, but, it definitely happens.

Actually, if Kuroo really thinks about it, it might've happened while they were eating lunch. 

Terushima shows up with a wave, and a grin, and Bokuto welcomes him happily. First they talk about parties; the people that showed up, the events that went down, who banged who- and then they talk about going to the gym, then their majors, and their friends. Bokuto warms up to him easily, happy to talk about whatever Terushima wants, because Bokuto is a really nice guy.

Unfortunately, Kuroo is warming up to him too. He really hates it when he’s wrong, and he especially hates it when he’s wrong while Bokuto was right- but Terushima isn’t that bad of a guy.

Terushima looks at him differently, ever since that party. His looks are especially interesting whenever Bokuto’s fingers tangle with Kuroo’s or whenever they kiss, or hug, or laugh together.  Kuroo gets some kind of sick satisfaction out of it. 

He walks out of class, bag thrown over his shoulder, eyes tired. He really just wants to grab Bokuto, and a good movie and not exist for a little while.

There’s his name:

“Kuroo!”

He turns on his heel, and sees Terushima jog up to his side.

“Aye.” Kuroo nods.

“Did you hear about the bonfire tonight?”

“Is it Johzenji?” Kuroo asks, and begins walking.

“No,” Terushima shakes his head, hair swishing this way and that. He’s a got a new piercing; another ring right at the top of his ear. “Well, sort of. It’s Johzenji and Karasuno.”

“Karasuno?” Kuroo blinks, “We’re friends with some of their members.”

“Which frat are you a part of?” Terushima asks, tipping his head a little, and it’s almost cute.

“Ah, well.” Kuroo begins, “I used to be in Nekoma. Bokuto was in Fukurodani. We stopped all that nonsense this year though, since we live together. Now we just kind of float by whatever parties we feel like.”

Terushima nods, “Ah, yeah. I’m kinda’ thinking of doing the same.”

Kuroo blanches, “No way. _You’re_ going to leave the party scene?”

Terushima laughs,“Yeah, go figure, right?” He rubs the back of his undercut. It looks really soft, but Kuroo forces his eyes away.  

“Is your liver failing?”

“No, but my grades are.”

Kuroo hums, and opens the door to the outside world; Terushima nods his thanks.

“That sucks, dude.”

“Yeah.” Terushima shoves his fingers in his pockets. He really does have an intimidating stature; he walks so confidently, his gold eyes are always narrowed, glaring at the world around him. But he looks up at Kuroo, and he doesn’t look like the guy that about knocked Bokuto out, all those weeks ago. “I um…was actually wondering…”

Kuroo stops walking, and stares at the shorter. He looks up and swallows, “Bo said that you were good at um…math and…”

“You’re an English major, right?”

“Oh, yeah. All that I can deal with, but my core class…” Terushima sighs, “I don’t think I’ll pass the final.”

Kuroo pulls out his phone, as he says, “What day is it? The 27th?”

“Yeah.”

“If you come by twice a week up until finals, I can have you ready.”

Terushima’s entire face lights up, and he grins. It’s actually quite adorable, “You’re kidding?”

“Nah.” Kuroo says, and begins walking again, “I’ve done the impossible with Bokuto. You couldn’t possibly be any worse than he is.”

Terushima laughs, and jogs to catch up with Kuroo’s long legs, “You’re kidding!”

“I’m not.” Kuroo grins, “His focus is horrible too. I have to bribe him with sex.”

Terushima’s body seems to visibly tense at that, and Kuroo looks at him out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

They go out to the fire pits- there’s a large group of people huddling around a bonfire. Kuroo instantly recognizes Asahi, sitting next to Daichi and Suga. Asahi is cradling a guitar, gently strumming. Some people are roasting marshmallows- despite the weather being fairly warm.

Someone walks up behind Bokuto, and wraps an arm around his shoulder, “Hey bro!”

Bokuto jumps, before grinning, “Yo! Tanaka, my dude.”

“Did you get taller?” Tanaka laughs, and raises his hand up to compare their heights.

“He totally did.” Nishinoya laughs at his side, “So not cool.”

Bokuto laughs too, and reaches over to pat Tanaka’s shaved head. Kuroo smiles, hands in his pockets. Karasuno is a really good frat, with some really good morals. Daichi, Suga, and Asahi really watch over these guys.

There’s some shouting off in the distance, and Kuroo turns- he sees some Johzenji members screaming with two of the Karasuno first years- and yep, somebody’s marshmallow is definitely on fire.

“Hinata!” Nishinoya yells, and runs towards the fire, “Hinata no- don’t- don’t wave it around!”

There’s distant calls of “ _Calm down dumbass!”_ and more laughter from Johzenji.

Tanaka laughs, and rubs his nose, “Damn, well, assuming that Hinata hasn’t burned all the marshmallows yet- we still have some stuff to make smores, so, help yourself!”

“Thanks!”

“Yeah,” Kuroo nods, “Thanks for letting us tag along, too.”

“Yeah! Terushima said he invited you two. I didn’t know you guys were friends?”

Bokuto and Kuroo share a look, “Well…”

There’s a distant call, “Hey! Tanaka! Come play chubby bunny!”

Like the sweet little one-tracked-mind child Tanaka is, he gasps, and bounces off. Kuroo smiles to himself, and lets Bokuto tug them over towards the third years.

“Hey.” Daichi smiles, “Long time no see.”

“Yeah dude, how you been?” Bokuto pats his shoulder as he sits down.

Daichi vaguely gestures to Tanaka and Nishinoya, who have way too many marshmallows already stuffed in their mouth- and then he gestures to Hinata, who has burned yet another smore- “Ahh, well, as good as I could hope.”

Kuroo laughs, “They look like they’re having fun.”

“They are.” Suga smiles, and sticks a new hotdog onto a skewer. Asahi is still thrumming the guitar lightly, the sound harmonizing with the cracks of the fire.

Kuroo accepts a skewer from Suga, and passes it to Bokuto instead. He looks around, and spots Terushima almost immediately. He’s laughing at Tanaka, who is struggling way more than Nishinoya.

“ _Chyuhy bffuffny!”_

“Ew!” Terushima laughs, “You almost spat marshmallow at me!”

“Sffofry!”

"Come on Tanaka! Put that big mouth to use!" 

"Shuh hup!" 

Kuroo laughs, and snakes an arm around Bokuto’s waist. Terushima’s laugh is almost contagious- and he seems to get along with Karasuno very well. It’s a little surprising.

“How’s studying for finals?” Suga asks. His face is a little flushed from the fire- but that could also be from Daichi’s arm, which is wrapped snugly around his shoulders. 

“Fine.”

“Horrible.”

Kuroo turns to Bokuto with a raised eyebrow, and Bokuto sputters, “I-i- mean, great!”

“It better be.” Kuroo squeezes him, “Especially after all that tutoring I’ve done for you.”

Suga and Daichi laugh, and Bokuto rubs his nose.

“It’s just so hard…”

“You’ll get it.” Daichi pats his shoulder, “Don’t worry.”

“Thanks dad.”

Kuroo snorts into his hand, and Daichi narrows his eyes.

Suddenly there’s more screaming;

Tanaka definitely has way too many marshmallows in his mouth, and he gags, spitting them out into the fire.

Tsuksishima, who had been perched happily on one of the logs next to Yamaguchi, shoots backwards, and about trips over the bench.

There’s various shrieks of _eww gross!_ and _Tanaka no!_

Terushima is _crying_ laughing, and Nishinoya laughs too- spitting marshmallow all over the fire as well. Bokuto yanks his hotdog back just in time, barely missing the onslaught of gross soggy marshmallow bits.

Johzenji is not helping whatsoever- they’re cheering and laughing, crying as Nishinoya and Tanaka choke out bits of marshmallow. It’s almost a nice sight- Johzenji looks to be having fun without alcohol.

Daichi presses the pads of his fingertips into his forehead, and sighs, dejectedly.

Kuroo watches Terushima laugh, and laugh, hands at his sides, tears in his eyes. The younger looks up, and pauses, mid inhale. Kuroo stares, raising an eyebrow, and watches the brat flush slightly, and grin back.

Bokuto is laughing heavily at his side, patting Daichi’s back as he laughs, and laughs. Kuroo breathes in, and for a moment, forgets about all his worries.

* * *

 

“So, like this?” Terushima slides his paper forwards.  

Kuroo reads over his solution, and taps his pen against the table. He does the math in his head, quickly, and shakes his head, “No. Close, but no.”

“Dammit.” Terushima sighs, and takes his paper back. “What did I do wrong?”

“You had the formula right, actually.” Kuroo blinks, “I think…your problem is that you make tiny mistakes. You go too fast.”

Terushima rubs at his cheek and nods, “Okay. Thanks.”

Kuroo sits back, and digs his hand back into the bag of chips. He’s almost surprised at how…civil Terushima is being. He’s perched politely in their chair, one hand in his lap, the other clutching his pen. His eyebrows are scrunched together, and Kuroo kind of wants to reach over and smooth out the wrinkles on his forehead.

Terushima erases the problem, and begins again, silently chewing on his bottom lip. Kuroo watches, eyes neutral, and says with a mouth full of chips, “I don’t get you.”

Terushima looks up, “Huh?”

“Sometimes you’re a brat and sometimes you’re totally cool.” Kuroo says shamelessly, and grabs another Dorito.

Terushima blinks for a moment, before squinting, “Well, I can say the same thing about you.”

Kuroo waves his hand around nonchalantly, and says, “True.”

Terushima huffs out a laugh, and turns back to the paper.

“You’re not a bad kid though.” Kuroo admits out loud. “Not that bad, anyways.”

Terushima pauses, pencil halfway through writing the number four. He looks up, and grins, “Wow, I'm surprised you didn't just choke swallowing your ego, considering how huge it is. ”

“Watch it.”

Terushima laughs, and rests his head in his free hand, “Sorry. Thanks man.”

It’s silent for a few moments, Terushima scribbling on the paper, Kuroo licking the orange flavoring from his fingers. Occasionally Terushima’s eyes flicker over, narrowed and serious, and watch him delve his tongue between his fingers- before Terushima looks back to the paper.

Kuroo smiles against his hand, but says nothing.

There’s the sound of keys jingling in the front door, before it opens, Bokuto announcing his presence loudly;

“Kuroo! Kuroo!”

Kuroo leans around to look at him, and says, “Hey Bo-“

“Dude! I was just with Akaashi and he was telling me about this sex toy and we totally need to get it-“

Bokuto cuts himself short when he sees Terushima turn around, bright eyes wide, eyebrows pushed up to his forehead.

“Oh.” Bokuto blinks. “Hi Teru!”

Kuroo presses his face into his hands, and sighs, as Terushima laughs.

“No, no. Don’t let me stop you. What were you saying?”

“…Nothing.” Bokuto gives a little laugh, and slides his backpack onto the table. “I didn’t know you were coming over!”

“Kuroo agreed to help me with math.”

“Oh really? That’s good! Kuroo is a really good teacher.”

“Eh, he’s okay.” Terushima says plainly, and Kuroo elbows him.

“Dude! I thought we were having a moment.”

Terushima laughs, contagiously, and Kuroo laughs too. Bokuto’s eyes flicker between them both, before he grins, “How long have you been over?”

“Umm…” Terushima picks up his phone, “…we’ve been working on my practice test for like…an hour and a half?”

“Ugh gross.” Bokuto says, and waddles into the kitchen, “Are you staying for dinner?”

“I uh…”

“You’re staying for dinner.” Bokuto decides for him, “Kuwoo and I are making spaghetti!”

“Mom’s spaghetti?” Terushima smirks, and Kuroo groans into his hand.

Bokuto pops back around the wall of the kitchen to point and say _“I like you”_ before popping back into the kitchen.

* * *

 

Forks clink against plates, and Kuroo’s ipod plays in the background. Terushima actually agrees to stay for dinner- and Bokuto is happy to feed him. Bokuto likes feeding people- It’s really adorable.

“Oh!” Terushima says, half a bite of pasta on his fork, “I forgot to tell you, I was at a Nekoma party the other day.”

Kuroo raises an eyebrow, “Yeah?”

“Mhmm.” Terushima twirls his fork, “That Lev guy can really throw it down. I did like six shots with him.”

Kuroo sighs, and closes his eyes, “God, I hope Yaku and Kai are watching over them.”

“They were.” Terushima says, and takes a bite, “Bfut tha Yaku ghuy whas kinda’ mhour fhocuused ohn bhanging Lev.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you not to eat with your mouth full?”

“No way!” Bokuto says, ignoring Kuroo completely, “Yaku is sleeping with Lev?”

“I could only assume so.” Terushima swallows, “The sex eyes were pretty intense.”

“I’m not really that surprised.” Kuroo says, and runs his finger around the ring of his cup, “I could pretty much smell the gay on Lev.”

Bokuto snorts into his hand, and Terushima laughs.

“True!”

“Everyone is pretty gay in Nekoma.” Bokuto says.

“Eh.” Kuroo makes a noncommittal hand gesture, “Not as bad as Karasuno.”

“You’re right!” Bokuto laughs.

“What, really?” Terushima blinks, “I mean, I know Sawaumura and Sugawara are a thing, but…”

“Are you serious?” Kuroo laughs, and sets his fork down, “I think the straightest guy they have in that frat is Tanaka, and that dude is Bi as hell.”

“No shit!”

“Yep.”

“What about uh….” Terushima blinks, and raises his hand up above his head, “-tall glasses dude?”

“He’s fucking freckle boy.”

“Nishinoya?”

“He’s with Asahi.”

“Uh, uh.” Terushima blinks, bracing his hands on the table, “Carrot head?”

“Kageyama.”

“Fuck!” Terushima laughs, “That’s amazing.”

“We love them.” Bokuto says and slurps his spaghetti.

“Man, most of Johzenji is straight.” Terushima says lightly. The table goes silent, and Terushima looks up through his eyelashes.

Kuroo blinks, expectantly, and watches Bokuto do the same.

Terushima sputters “W-well, obviously not me!”

“Okay, good.” Bokuto relaxes, “I was worried my Gay-dar might need maintenance.”

Terushima laughs, “What does that mean?!”

“Dude, I knew as soon as I saw the tongue piercing.”

“Uh,” Kuroo turns to Bokuto, “You should have known as soon as he _grabbed my ass._ ”

“Eh.”

Kuroo laughs, and tugs on Bokuto’s chair, bringing him closer. He presses a kiss against Bokuto’s cheek forcefully, and the other giggles, pressing a hand against his cheek.

Terushima shuffles a little bit in his chair- almost nervous. Kuroo sees his face redden, just a little, but he chooses to ignore it.

* * *

 

Bokuto’s thighs are pressed warmly against his own. He can feel hands trailing up and around his back, soothingly, and Kuroo sighs, resting his face in Bokuto’s shoulder. Bokuto is so strong, but so soft. Kuroo breathes in, and says, “You smell good.”

“Thanks! I took a shower.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Bokuto chuckles, low, and squeezes Kuroo closer. The hand trails up his spine, fingers pressing against every bump. His knuckles ghost across his upper back, before his warm hand slides back down. Kuroo presses his left thigh closer between Bokuto’s, and hitches his right up and around Bokuto’s hip. It’s warm, and snuggly, and Kuroo feels his eyelids droop. His belly is full, and his chest his sore from laughing.

“I think…” Bokuto begins, and runs his hand up and through Kuroo’s messy hair, “…I think Teru likes us.”

Kuroo blinks against Bokuto’s chest, and gives a soft, short laugh. “So…you noticed too.”

“He’s very transparent…even though he tries not to be.”

“Mhmm.” Kuroo agrees, sleepily. “Do you like him?”

“He’s cute.” Bokuto says honestly. “He’s a little bit of an ass, but he’s sweet.”

“Mmm.” Kuroo purrs, “You know, I kinda’ agree with you.”

Bokuto suddenly pulls back, and looks Kuroo in the eye. He blinks, “Hey, I know that tone. What are you thinking?”

“Nothing.” Kuroo whispers, and tucks his head back down, “The little mouse doesn’t know what he’s getting into.”

“Kuroo.” Bokuto fake gasps, “Are you thinking of _teasing_ him?”

“Just a little.”

“That’s mean. Teru already apologized for the pranks.”

“Hmmm.” Kuroo purrs, “That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun. We both agreed that he is cute, after all.”

He feels Bokuto smile into his hair, and Kuroo grins, before drifting off to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LINGO COUNT: 
> 
> dude: 18
> 
> bro: 13
> 
> man: 6


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the broship continues

“I can’t do this.”

“Not with that attitude!” Bokuto calls from the couch, and Kuroo gestures, to prove his point further.

“I’m serious.” Terushima sags, “I’m going to have to pay for this class again…”

“Dude, you’re on the right track.” Kuroo says, and leans over his shoulder a little to point to his paper. He can feel Terushima freeze beneath him- he can hear his breathing hitch. Kuroo resists a grin, and points to one of the problems,

“See, your math here. Totally the right idea. You just messed up a couple little things- like that negative. Those two cancel each other out-“ Kuroo draws a line, and circles part of the math, “-here. Now resolve it- you’ll probably get the right answer.”

“It was just…that small?” Terushima turns his head, and they’re insanely close. Those piercing eyes- they're very attractive, but Kuroo grins, because he knows he can pull off a look just as intimidating.

“Yep.” Kuroo winks, and taps his shoulder, leaning back, “It’s the little things in life, bro.”

“Amen!” Bokuto raises his diet coke like a shot glass, not looking away from the T.V.

“Hey, big mouth.” Kuroo calls, and Bokuto perks up, “You need to be studying, too.”

Bokuto blinks, before he flirts, “Ahh, but you love my big mouth.”

Kuroo clicks his tongue, “That I do.”

“You two are so gay.” Terushima says with a laugh.

“Aww, Teru~” Bokuto teases, “Feelin’ left out?”

The look on Terushima’s face is _amazing._ Kuroo internally smiles, and thinks   _man, sometimes Bokuto seems like airhead, but he  always knows exactly what he's doing._

Terushima blinks, stares at the wall, and blinks again. He then laughs- it seems to be a natural reaction when he's nervous- "You guys are gross." 

"Oh ho?" Bokuto raises an eyebrow. "What happened to flirty Teru?" 

"He left as soon as I saw you eat spaghetti for the first time." 

"Ahahaha!" Bokuto laughs, "Wow! So tsundere." 

"Oh my god! Shut up!" 

Kuroo laughs, clutching his sides, watching Terushima hop up off the chair. Bokuto snickers, and shields himself as Terushima grabs his empty water bottle, and chucks it across the room.

“Hey!” Kuroo laughs, “No throwing shit!”

* * *

 

They get a text at 3 A.M. :

_dudes, u have 2 come outside rn._

Kuroo squints at his phone, and sees the contact name _Terushima-_ he considers just turning it off, but he texts back:

_Why?_

He pauses, and then blinks, before scrambling to text again-

_Wait? Are you outside our apartment?!_

His phone buzzes, moments later;

_I was @ iHop and I ordered way 2 many pancakes, dude. Like. Way 2 many._

Kuroo sits up in bed, still staring at the screen.

_So you brought them here?? Are you drunk?_

There’s a pause, and then,

_Hah, yah._

Kuroo rolls his eyes, and slips away from Bokuto, who is still snoring faithfully in the bed. He pats around in the dark, using his phone as a light, and escapes out into the livingroom.

When he unlocks the front door, he realizes that Terushima wasn’t lying. He’s holding two take-out boxes- there’s bags under his eyes, and he’s swaying on his feet.

“You look like hell.” Kuroo says, and his voice is gruff from sleep.

“Sorry.” Terushima slurs, “Pancake?”

“Yeah, okay.” Kuroo rubs his eyes, and takes the boxes out of his hands. Terushima moves to turn back around, but Kuroo sets the boxes on the table by the front door, and grabs Terushima by the back of his band t-shirt.

“W-wha-“

“Cm’ere buddy.” Kuroo says, and slings an arm around his back, kicking the door shut with his foot.

“I can w-walk fine, brrooo.” Terushima sways, and Kuroo rolls his eyes. He steers him towards the couch, where Terushima definitely can’t hurt himself. He crouches by the edge of the couch, and looks into Terushima’s clouded eyes.

“Yeah, you’ve got some questions to answer.” Kuroo places a pillow behind his back, and the younger sinks into it. He looks _shitfaced._ Kuroo has seen him drunk plenty of times, but never like this. It’s a little concerning. “Did you drive here?”

“Hah, nooo.” Terushima purrs, “Mmm, I walked.”

Kuroo blinks away the sleep, and does the math in his head. iHop is only a quarter mile away from their apartment. He must’ve stumbled here by muscle memory.

“Were you drunk before, or after you went to iHop?”

“Hmmm….” Terushima furrows his eyebrows together, and Kuroo spots a new piercing- a shiny bead above his right eyebrow. “I was drunk before. At a party. Shiratorizawa.”

“Ahhh.” Kuroo sits back on his heels. Well, this makes sense. Shiratorizawa’s main frat house isn’t far from their apartment. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t drive back.”

“I should goooo.” Terushima suddenly decides, and tries to stand up, but Kuroo taps his chest with the palm of his hand- Terushima falls back, as if punched.

Kuroo stands up, “No, you’re sleeping here tonight.”

“Huh? Nooo-“

“Take off your pants.” Kuroo says, and disappears into the hallway to dig through the storage closet. He pulls out a blanket, and a spare pillow, and when he comes back, Terushima is still wearing clothes. He clears his throat, “Ahem?”

Terushima blinks, slowly, and mumbles, “Are you flirting with me?" 

"Not really." Kuroo answers, "There’s just alcohol all over them, bro.”

Terushima looks down, and there are, indeed, wet sticky stains across his thighs. He huffs, and tries to push them off his hips. Kuroo watches, a little amused, as he seems to have forgotten how buttons and zippers work.

“Hold on, buddy. I’ll help ya’.”

“Noo.” Terushima spits, “I’m not _stupid._ ”

“I know.” Kuroo says, setting the blanket and pillow on the couch, “I know.”

Terushima goes quiet. His hands still, and move to his sides- he pauses, and looks up to Kuroo. The elder gives a soft smile, and steps up to him. He can feel Terushima’s breaths, shaky, and deep, and he sees his hands tremble slightly at his sides. Kuroo reaches his hand down between them- he slides his hand down slowly, and pops the button with his thumb, effortlessly. Terushima looks annoyed- or maybe confused- and sways on his feet. Kuroo holds him still with his left hand, and slides down his zipper, slowly, with his right. The black jeans are tight on his hips, but sag a little, as soon as Kuroo completely undoes the zipper. He looks to Terushima’s eyes- he’s not that much shorter, but Terushima’s shoulders are rigid, and tense, and his gold eyes look foggy.

Terushima is wobbly, but Kuroo holds him still. Terushima's head bobs forwards- his breath smells like alcohol, and it ghosts across Kuroo's face for a moment. Kuroo almost thinks that he he has the balls to kiss him-  before Terushima swallows, and pulls back.

Kuroo shrugs it off, and reaches down with both hands, and dips his thumbs beneath his jeans, almost sensually. He see’s dark boxer briefs peek out, resting low on his hips.

 _Slender,_ Kuroo thinks, and gives a little yank.

“There you go.” Kuroo grins, and steps back. Terushima falls, rather than sits, down on the couch cushions to pull the jeans off completely. Kuroo steals them out of his hand, and waves them around saying,

“I’ll wash these for you.”

“Mmmm.” Terushima hums. He’s silent, before he mumbles, “Thanks...Kuroo.”

“No problem.” Kuroo says, and actually means it.

* * *

 

Kuroo watches Terushima wake up from the kitchen table. Bokuto is across from him, an earbud in one ear as he digs into the leftover iHop pancakes. They're a little soggy, but fine nevertheless. 

First they see a little tuff of blonde appear above the back of the couch- it turns, this way, and that.

Bokuto takes out his earbud, and grins, “Oh ho! Good morning, sleepyhead.”

The body flinches, a hand coming up to rest against his forehead.

“Fuck…” Terushima groans, and flops back down onto the couch.

“How do you feel?” Bokuto asks, standing up.

“Like hell.” Terushima says faintly.

“Get him some water.” Kuroo says, and sips his coffee.

“Nooo.”

“You gotta’ drink, bro.” Bokuto says, and waddles over to the couch, a full glass in hand. Kuroo watches Bokuto gently slide next to him, a firm hand on his back, helping him up. Terushima groans, but takes the glass with a soft _thank you._

“Fuck.” Terushima repeats again, after he’s taken two sips. “Fuck, I can’t believe I came here.”

“Why?” Kuroo raises an eyebrow, “It was honestly a smart move. Give your drunk brain some credit.”

“I feel so bad though.” Terushima says honestly, “I didn’t mean to bother you guys like this.”

“Hm.” Kuroo raises his eyebrows, “What a selfless thing to say. Are you really Terushima?”

“Fuck off.”

“Ah, there he is.” Kuroo laughs, and Bokuto laughs too.

Terushima sips the water again, and stares into the glass. “I’m still…sorry though.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Bokuto taps his back, and stands up with a grin, “You brought us pancakes, so we’re even.”

Terushima looks absolutely flabbergasted, and Kuroo grins behind his coffee. He shrugs, “Not to mention that we’d rather you be here, than off wandering the streets, completely shitfaced.”

Terushima stares back at the water, gold eyes burning holes through the glass.

“Yeah…Kuroo said you were pretty wasted.” Bokuto says, walking back over to Kuroo, and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine.” Terushima says, a little too fast. “Are my pants clean?”

“Yeah.” Kuroo stares, “Do you want to talk about anything?”

“Do you care?” Terushima snaps.

“Yeah.” Bokuto says, honestly. “We do.”

Terushima pauses for a moment, before he grumbles, “It was just a fight with my dad…over the phone. Not a big deal.”

“Ahh.” Kuroo says, trailing his hands up and around Bokuto’s waist as he stands, too. “Sorry man.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Terushima says, and downs the rest of the water.

Kuroo returns with his jeans, good as new. He hands them to him, and resists the urge to stare at Terushima’s bare thighs as he does so.

He gives him a pat on the shoulder, and says, “C’mon undercut. Let’s go get your car back.”

* * *

 

They see him the next day. He looks much better- he’s laughing with his friends, chattering away with people Kuroo doesn’t recognize.

They see each other in the hallway, and wave. Kuroo isn’t sure why he was even concerned the first place; Terushima is an adult- a person that’s somehow become his friend, and a guy he occasionally tutors.

At first he was just a pain in the ass, but...the kid is actually growing on him. He knows Bokuto feels the same way.

Kuroo’s noticed small things- like how Terushima rolls his tongue piercing around when he’s thinking really hard, or the way his eyes sparkle when he laughs- or how his cheeks warm when he’s embarrassed. Underneath such a hard exterior, Terushima is actually very human.

But Kuroo is reminded not to play with fire- he’s reminded of the raw strength and power that makes up Terushima. Kuroo sees him with bruised knuckles and a swollen hand, and when asked, Terushima just laughs, and says,

_You should have seen the other guy!_

It’s mildly concerning- at least, to Kuroo it is. Terushima is a good guy, who’s fairly smart, and has a lot of heart.

But not everyone sees him that way.

Kuroo sits in the cafeteria, and watches Terushima rise from his friends table, and cross towards the vending machine. A few people scatter- a couple others slide out of his way. He attracts glares and envious stares alike, just from crossing the room.

Kuroo watches, his head in one hand, and wonders how many people know.

How many know that his laugh is contagious? How many know that he paints his nails black every weekend?  How many know that his hips are so slender, and soft? 

Probably a lot, actually.

“Hey.” Bokuto pokes Kuroo’s bicep with end of his plastic fork, “You look deep in thought there, man.”

“Hmm.” Kuroo looks down at his jello, and speaks his mind- he was never one to hide anything from Bokuto anyways- “Terushima has a reputation, doesn’t he?”

Bokuto looks up- Terushima is arguing with someone in front of the vending machine, already drawing a crowd.

“Yeah…” Bokuto stares, “He attracts attention. Either people love him, or they hate him.”

Kuroo hums, and pokes his jello once more. He watches it jiggle before moving back into place. He stares for a moment, then says,

“I don’t hate him anymore.”

Bokuto perks up, and squeezes his thigh, lovingly. He smiles, “Obviously.”

* * *

 

“Dumb.” Akaashi says plainly. “Dumb. Stupid. Stupid dumb stupid dumb.”

Bokuto and Kuroo laugh from the couch, and Terushima snickers from the loveseat.

“Oh, I’m with you.” Suga says, arms folded across his chest. “Why didn’t she just call the police?”

“The killer cut the phone lines!” Daichi defends, an arm around Suga’s shoulders as they sit on the floor, their backs to the couch.

“Uh! Hello!” Akaashi waves his hands around, “This is the 21st century! She has a cell phone!”

“Okay, how about the next time _you’re_ being hunted by a serial killer, we watch you, and see how rational you are.” Kuroo laughs, and Akaashi turns to glare.

“Okay, well… I feel like out of all of us, Akaashi would be the _most_ calm in that situation.” Suga snickers, and Akaashi throws his hands up in a _I told you so_  kind of way.

“Damn, you’re right.”

“Can you guys shut up?” Terushima laughs, “I want to watch this girl get rekt.”

They turn back to the T.V. for a moment to insure that yes, in fact, the girl on screen is being murdered horribly. Daichi flinches, lifting his arm a little as blood splatters.

“This is horrible.”

“This is awesome.” Bokuto, Kuroo, and Terushima say simultaneously. They freeze for a moment, before they all turn to each other and _cry_ laughing, Bokuto doubled over, Kuroo clutching his sides.

“Unreal.” Akaashi deadpans, and turns back to the movie. “You guys are unreal.”

“You’re like three peas in a pod.” Daichi smiles.

Terushima snorts, and says, “As if,” -but Kuroo catches the red on his cheeks, and the glint in his eyes. Kuroo is actually kind of relieved- he didn’t like seeing Terushima like he was the other night; stressed out, dark circles beneath bright eyes, hair ruffled, body sagged. It’s not a good look for him. Nope. Not at all.

He catches Terushima’s eye, and stares, before Terushima breaks eye contact, and looks away.

* * *

 

The movie ends- it wasn’t that great, but they didn’t expect much anyways.

They stand up, bodies sore, backs popping- Akaashi asks with his arms above his head, “You guys are driving me home, right?”

Suga nods, “Yep, yep.”

“Do you need a ride?” Daichi turns to Terushima.

“Hm?” He blinks, “Ah, no. I drove.”

“Cool.” Daichi nods. Akaashi pops his back once more, before he follows Daichi and Suga out the door.

They wave their goodbyes, and Kuroo closes the door, and throws the lock.

“What should we watch next?” Bokuto bounces over to grab the remote, and scrolls through Netflix.

Terushima throws his hand up, “Another horror movie.”

“No way.” Kuroo says, hopping over the back of the couch. “I love murder and all, but let’s do something different.”

“Hmm…” Bokuto scrolls, “Avengers?”

“Nah.”

“Mulan?”

“Nahh.”

“Oh!” Bokuto blinks, “Teru, have you ever seen Bob’s Burgers?”

“No.” Terushima throws his legs over the side of the loveseat. “I heard its funny.”

“It’s great dude.” Kuroo wraps his arms around Bokuto’s waist, and tugs him into his lap. Bokuto shuffles closer, still focused on the screen.

“Oooh, we’re totally watching it.” Bokuto grins, and selects Epsiode 1 Season 1.

Terushima shrugs, and curls up into the chair. His eyes flicker over every so often- he watches Kuroo trail his fingers up and down Bokuto’s arms- he watches Bokuto turn in his lap, to press a sweet kiss against his forehead, and he watches Kuroo squeeze Bokuto tighter, before he finally turns away.

An idea sparks in Kuroo’s head.

It’s kinda’ mean. Kuroo knows it- but he can’t help himself.

He waits. He sits still, unmoving, until Bokuto is completely consumed with the episode.

He wiggles a knee inbetween Bokuto’s and tugs it outwards, spreading Bokuto’s thighs. Bokuto thinks nothing of it, focused completely on the T.V.- but Terushima looks over, and doesn’t look away. How could he, really? Bokuto has some of the best thighs in school. That's some hard, cold, fact.

Kuroo grins into Bokuto’s back, and trails his fingers forwards. He rests them below Bokuto’s navel- he keeps them there for a minute, before he wiggles underneath Bokuto’s shirt. He rubs small soothing circles into Bokuto’s tummy, and moves up, tugging Bokuto’s shirt upwards, just a little. His hipbones are visible now- peeking up and over his low riding jeans. His skin is slightly tanned, and oh-so smooth. 

Kuroo has him on show. If Bokuto knows, he’s not complaining. Terushima keeps trying to focus on the T.V.- but his eyes always flicker back. Kuroo sees them scan across Bokuto’s lower muscles, and down and across his thighs. Kuroo drags his hand back down slowly, and rests it back below Bokuto’s navel, casually.

Terushima says nothing- even up until he leaves later that night.

* * *

Bokuto presses wet, open mouthed kisses down Kuroo’s throat. They sound lewd, but Kuroo likes it that way. Bokuto’s hands never shake- they’re steady, even as the shower hisses around them. It leaves their skin red, and blotchy, but it feels good.

Kuroo presses his fingers into Bokuto’s muscles- he trails over every divot, and slides up and around his sides.

Bokuto purrs into his neck, “I know what you were doing…”

“Hm?”

“With Teru.” Bokuto dips his fingers between Kuroo’s legs. Kuroo presses his back up against the cool shower wall, and hisses as Bokuto wraps his hand around his cock.

“Ahh…I figured you’d catch on.”

“So evil~.” Bokuto sings.

“How can I not show you off?” Kuroo reaches around to squeeze Bokuto’s ass. It fits so very nicely into his hands, and Kuroo squeezes once more. “You’re fuckin’ gorgeous.”

Bokuto’s breath hitches, and he turns to press a kiss into Kuroo’s throat. He feels the other pat around on the shelf, and finds the silicone-based lube they typically keep there.

Kuroo trails his fingers up and around Bokuto’s tailbone. He slides around the curve of his ass, and back up his spine.

“Mmm…so gorgeous.”

He feels Bokuto bite his lip, more than sees it- and turns his head to kiss Kuroo, finally. The wet spray of the shower still hisses over them, and Kuroo moans when a slick hand wraps around his cock once more. He feels Bokuto, hard against his hip, so he grabs Bokuto’s slick hand, and rubs some of the lubricant onto his own hand, before reaching down to grip Bokuto as well.

It’s a dance. A very well-choreographed dance- yet, Kuroo still relishes in it. He memorizes every gasp- every hiccup. He listens to every sound Bokuto makes, and drinks in every reaction. He studies his face- he studies how his chest heaves; he watches how his thighs shake. His hair is wet, strands sticking to his face. It’s so beautiful.

So Kuroo tells him.

“Hnnn-Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.” Kuroo repeats, and slides his hand up and around the cock in his hand, just how Bokuto likes it.

Bokuto gasps against his lips- they’re wet, and swollen, and Kuroo kisses them once more. A tongue presses past his lips, and Kuroo eagerly sucks against it. Bokuto twists his hand, hard, and Kuroo groans, nearly smacking the back of his head on the tile.

"Hhnn- fuck."

Kuroo tries to be smug- he tires to be the Sex God he always bragged he was- but with Bokuto….with Bokuto he’s met his match. Bokuto is _amazing,_ absolutely amazing. Bokuto strokes him steadily, and Kuroo groans, his free hand squeezing Bokuto’s ass once more.

“Turn around.” Bokuto says deep and low into his mouth, and Kuroo shivers.

He doesn’t hesitate to turn. He braces his hands on the tile wall, and feels Bokuto kick a knee between his thighs.

“Are you going to-“

“No.” Bokuto answers, reaching between Kuroo’s thighs, his hands slick with waterproof lube. “I won’t last.”

“Ah, good.” Kuroo shivers, and presses his forehead into the tile, “Me too.”

Bokuto reaches around Kuroo, and wraps a hand around his dick once more- except now there’s a hard cock pressing against Kuroo’s ass, and it's pretty awesome, in Kuroo's opinion. He groans into the tile and presses his hips into Bokuto’s hand.

The shower still hisses- it’s a waste of water, but that’s the least of Kuroo’s worries right now. 

Bokuto grinds against him, wet, and slippery, and mimics the motion with his right hand. Kuroo digs his hands into the wall and grinds back, knees already weak.

"Hah...hah-nn-" Kuroo pants, before biting down on his bottom lip.

Bokuto's voice is against his ear, deep, and heavy, and Kuroo loses himself.

“Do you think…” Bokuto thrusts upwards, and shivers, “…Teru would join us, if we asked?”

“Hmm.” Kuroo purrs, “Do-hah- do you think he’d flush, like a virgin?”

Bokuto smiles into his neck, “Or grin, like an incubus?”

Kuroo smirks- oh how he loves Bokuto. Of course he remembers- the day they first had sex. Kuroo had stared, naked on the bed, frozen as Bokuto paused above him, completely hesitant. Kuroo had yelled,

 _“What? Are you going to flush, like a little virgin? Or fuck me like an Incubus?_ ”

“I want to suck his dick.” Bokuto growls into the back Kuroo’s neck. “I want to see his face.”

Kuroo hums into the tile, eyes closed shut. All he can feel is Bokuto- Bokuto against his back, Bokuto around his cock, Bokuto in his ear. He shivers, horribly close already. Its so hot- their breaths pant against the steam.

“I do too.” Kuroo sighs, and grinds back into Bokuto. “I want to watch you fuck him. Hah...Hell, I want to fuck you, while you fuck him.”

Bokuto groans, and presses his forehead into Kuroo’s shoulder.

"Fuck, _K-kuroo_ -"

"Come on, baby." Kuroo encourages him, water soaked hair sloshing around his face.

The hand on him stills, and Kuroo feels him shudder, hard against his back.

Kuroo turns around to kiss him, his own right hand between his legs. He kisses Bokuto- he kisses him, and kisses him, until they forget all about the hiss of the shower spray, and the shaking of their knees.

* * *

 

 

The music rumbles loudly- it fills Kuroo’s ears like water. He looks around the house, hands in his pockets, ignoring the occasional shoves. There’s people dancing on the stairs, and on tables. Alcohol spills from cups- sweaty people jump, and yell.

He spots his boyfriend- Bokuto is playing beer pong with Tanaka, Nishinoya and Terushima at his side.

Bokuto pauses mid throw, and turns. He slurs, “Kuwoo!”

“Hey babe.” Kuroo says, and studies the ping pong table with a smile, “Winning?”

“Yeah!” Bokuto giggles, and throws the ball. It lands right in the cup, and Tanaka groans.

“Fuck!!”

“Nice Bo!” Terushima laughs. Tanaka grumbles, reaching for the cup.

“Dude, this is so not fair. Why are you so good at this?”

Bokuto grins, “It’s all in the wrist, young grasshopper.”

Nishinoya laughs, and slaps Tanaka on the shoulder- he about chokes on the beer.

“Good job.” Kuroo compliments, and slips an arm around his waist- Bokuto lights up.

“Thanks! What have you been up to?”

“Studying.” Kuroo pokes his ribs, “Like you should be.”

“R-right.” Bokuto squishes his eyebrows together, “Tomorrow.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kuroo laughs, “I’ll hold you to that when you’ve got a killer hangover.”

Bokuto drunkenly slides forwards and brushes his lips against Kuroo’s cheek as a response. Kuroo eyes Terushima- he’s staring into his beer, occasionally swirling it in circles.

 Tanaka stands at the edge of the table, and tries to copy Bokuto’s throw. He tosses the ball- it circles around the rim, before falling off the table.

“Dammit!”

“Wow Ryuu, you suck.”

“I don’t need your sass, Yuu!”

Bokuto giggles, and slaps Terushima's arm, “Hey, hey, hey. You wanna sub in?”

“Huh?” Terushima blinks, “Why? You’re wrecking his shit right now.”

“Cause.” Bokuto squeezes his arm around Kuroo’s waist, “My hot boyfriend is here and I don’t wanna' let go.”

“Awwww.” Kuroo sarcastically coos.

“Gay!” Tanaka calls, but he’s not really one to talk. Kuroo totally saw him making out with that other Karasuno sophmore the other day.

Terushima is still hesitant, so Kuroo teases, “What? The little partier doesn’t know how to play beer pong?”

Terushima scowls, and swipes the ball out of Tanaka’s outstretched hand.  He lines up at the edge of the table, and flicks his wrist. The ping pong ball plops in, beer splashing over the rim.

Tanaka groans, and presses his hands into his face, “This is so not fair! You’re both good at this.”

“Nice Teru!” Bokuto yells, and reaches up to highfive him. “See, I knew you could do it.”

Terushima grins, cheeks just a little pink.

Nishinoya reaches for the cup of beer, and shoves it in Tanaka’s face with a laugh.

“Drink up!”

* * *

 

Kuroo presses his face into Bokuto’s shoulder. The party is loud, but it feels familiar- maybe even a little homey. Bokuto cuddles with him happily, their ankles locked together.

Suddenly there’s a hand in front of their face- Kuroo’s eyes shoot upwards.

“Dude, good game.” Tanaka slurs, and Bokuto is more than happy to shake his hand.

“You too!”

“Pfff.” Tanaka snorts, and slumps down next to them. “I’m so ffffuckin’ drunk right now, dudes.”

Kuroo snickers into his hand, and Bokuto claps him on the shoulder,

“I can teach you how to win beer pong!”  

“No way!” Tanaka perks up, “Really!”

“Yeah!” Bokuto winks, “It’s totally easy.”

“Yhu-r the best, bro.” Tanaka tries to fist bump him, but just kinda waves his fist around until he flops backwards.

Kuroo scans across the room- he can see Daichi scolding one of their first years- it looks to be the tall one, Tsukki. There’s a few Nekoma members running around, and a hell of a lot of Aoba Josai. He’s surprised, honestly, that Aoba Josai and Karasuno are sharing the same space.  He does a double take when he sees Terushima doing pushups with a first year on his back.

Kuroo snorts, and taps Bokuto on the leg, “Hey, look at undercut.”

“Huh?” Bokuto turns, and then laughs, “Woah! I wanna join-“

“No.” Kuroo tugs him back, “Your job is to cuddle me.”

Bokuto perks back up, and smiles, wrapping an arm around Kuroo’s shoulders.

Tanaka burps at their side, before saying, “You know that dude likes you guys, right?”

Bokuto opens his mouth to say _Yeah!_ But Kuroo slaps a hand over his mouth.

He pretends to be innocent, “No, really?”

“Yeah.” Tanaka slurs, “I heard from Yuu, who overheard Daichi talking to Suga, who said that he was talking to Bobata the other day, who told Suga that Higashiyama and Futamata were-“

“Hey.” Kuroo holds up a hand, “Fifteen words or less.”

Tanaka swallows, and furrows his eyebrows- as if he was taking his request seriously. He manages to say, “ The Johzenji boys kept daring Terushima to mess with you guys, because they know that he likes you.”

“Ohh.” Bokuto blinks, “Well…that would make sense.”

“Hmm.” Kuroo nods, “I figured as such.”

“What?” Tanaka tips his head, and Kuroo waves him off.

“Nothing, nothing.”

* * *

 

Kuroo is a little surprised when he sees Terushima walking around with a girl on his arm. He shouldn’t be surprised, but he is anyways.

He can see Bokuto eyeing the girl, almost venomously. Kuroo squeezes his hand, and smirks, “Are you jealous?”

“Maybe a little.” Bokuto answers honestly. “Do you think he’s moved on?”

Kuroo shrugs, “I dunno’. He might just be fuckin’ her.” He pauses for a moment, before he grins, and tugs on Bokuto’s hand, “Hey. I have an idea.”

“Uh-oh.” Bokuto blinks, “Should I be concerned?”

“Maybe.” Kuroo laughs, and pulls on Bokuto’s hand. “Just play along, okay?” Bokuto nods, and they cross the courtyard, stepping around various students sitting on the grass. They squeeze towards the big group of people- where Terushima is laughing, that dark haired girl still perched on his arm.

“Yo! Teru!”

Terushima turns, and surprise flickers on his face, for just a moment, before he gins, “Hey guys.”

“You coming over today?” Kuroo asks, almost flirtatiously, and the girl blinks.

“Umm, I was planning on it.” Terushima says, “I just have a few problems I need help with.”

“Ah cool.” Kuroo nods, and then turns to look at the girl. She’s quite pretty, glasses perched calmly on her face.

“Oh.” Terushima blinks, “Let me introduce you! This is Kiyoko. We’ve been dating for about a week.”

“Hello.” She says, face neutral.

“I’m Kuroo.”

“And I’m Bokuto!”

“Pleasure.” She half smiles.

“Ooh! You know what? I totally forgot.” Kuroo groans, and turns to Bokuto, “Weren’t we going out tonight?”

Bokuto blinks, and connects the dots. They actually have no plans tonight, but Kuroo hopes Bokuto will catch on- which he does. He gasps, “Fuck! You’re right. You promised me a date night.”

“Sorry, man.” Kuroo turns back. Terushima’s  eyes are sharp, and gold, and slightly open in surprise. 

“Ah, it’s no problem.” Terushima nods, and tightens his grip around Kiyoko. “We can just-“

“You know what we can do!!” Bokuto gasps, eyeing Kuroo. Kuroo internally smiles, because his boyfriend is so smart. Sometimes it feels as if they share the same brain. Bokuto smiles, “We should do a double date!”

Kiyoko doesn’t seem to react, but Terushima’s eyes widen. “Umm…is that alright?”

“It’s no problem.” Kuroo replies, “It’d be fun.”

Kiyoko nods once, so Terushima says, “...Okay.”

* * *

 

“So, a girlfriend.” Bokuto says, running gel through his hair.

“She was pretty.” Kuroo shrugs, “Kinda quiet…but…”

“What?” Bokuto turns, half his hair up, half his hair down.

“Nothing~.” Kuroo sings, “I just have my suspicions…”

“Hm.” Bokuto turns back to the mirror, “Do you want me to wear those skinny jeans?”

“Oh hell yeah."

* * *

 

They get maybe ten…fifteen minutes into the dinner, before Kuroo’s theory is proven correct.

Kiyoko is definitely a fake girlfriend.

They sit around the table, snacking on appetizers, cracking jokes- but Kiyoko is totally making googly eyes to the little blonde waitress, and Kuroo can’t really blame her. Terushima doesn’t seem to notice- he’s completely enveloped in Bokuto’s story, his smile wide, his eyes sparkling.

“No way!”

“I’m not kidding!” Bokuto laughs, “So, Kuroo and I _tailgate_ out of there- he grabs the goat, and I grab the soda machine, and we shove them in the back of the car. I get maybe _one_ leg in the door before Kuroo’s foot slams on the gas. Of course, I’ve still got two cantaloupes in my bra, and they about smack open as soon as I fall in the seat.”

“Did they catch you?!"

“ _Hell_ no.” Bokuto laughs, “But we had to sneak back in to give the goat back… we kept the soda machine though….”

“Man!” Terushima laughs, tongue ring sparkling, “The Johzenji initiation was _not_ that crazy.”

“Really?” Kuroo raises an eyebrow. “I always figured Johzenji would be the worst- next to Aoba Josai.”

“Nahh.” Terushima waves his hand around, “We just had to play our seniors in a few drinking games.”

“Wow.” Bokuto blinks, “That is pretty tame.”

Kuroo stares at Kiyoko. She’s sitting far from Terushima, her head in one hand, and keeps staring at that waitress. The blonde girl would giggle, make eye contact, and giggle again- to which Kiyoko would smirk. Overall, Kuroo is just impressed at Terushima's gall- getting a  _fake girlfriend?_ He must be desperate, or just plain stupid. Maybe he's trying to tease them-or maybe he doesn't actually care at all. Maybe this is an elaborate prank. Kuroo is still skeptical. 

“I just can’t believe that two rival frats would work together for their initiation.” Terushima says.

“Yeah.” Bokuto snickers, “That’s uh…actually how we met.”

Kuroo reaches over to squeeze his thigh, “Mhmm. It was some real Romeo and Juliet shit.”

They’re interrupted when the little blonde waitress comes by, four plates in hand. She distributes them with a flush on her face, and smiles at Kiyoko, before quietly scrambling away.

Kuroo stares at his plate for a moment, before he goes, “Aww man, I forgot to say no tomatoes.”

“Oh!” Bokuto grins, “Give ‘em to me!”

Kuroo picks off a few, and slides them onto his plate. Bokuto then opens his mouth, and Kuroo pops one in for him.

Terushima is quiet, staring, watching as Kuroo leans forwards to peck his mouth quickly. His hands clutch his cup tightly- black nails especially visible. 

Kuroo smirks, and turns back to his meal. Terushima really makes this way too easy.

Kiyoko flirts with that waitress for the rest of the night, and Kuroo is pretty sure Terushima knows.

The highlight of Kuroo’s evening is seeing Bokuto stand up in those jeans, and watching Terushima’s eyes stick to his ass, like a magnet.

* * *

 

“So how’s Kiyoko?”

“Ah…we broke up.”

“Oh shit! Sorry to hear that man.”

“Eh…it was mutual.”

Bokuto and Kuroo share a knowing look, and grin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LINGO COUNT: 
> 
> dude: 8
> 
> bro: 5
> 
> man: 7


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (why am i putting so much effort into a rarepair rescue me i love them)

Kuroo considers himself a relatively patient person. He’s in love with Bokuto, after all.

But after a few weeks, Kuroo isn’t so sure about his self-proclaimed easy-going attitude.

If Terushima likes them, then he needs to hurry the _fuck up_ and say so. Honestly. The sexual tension is reaching a ridiculous level.

He’s such a huge flirt- Kuroo sees him always cornering a girl in the hallway, or grabbing some dude’s ass at a party- but for whatever reason, Terushima seems almost hesitant around them.

It's really wearing down Kuroo's patience, to be honest. The semester is coming to a close- soon it will be winter break. Finals are approaching, and Terushima is over more than ever.

Kuroo studies his practice test. He runs through the cheat sheet he made for himself, and looks at Terushima’s answers. He circles a couple as he reads, and ignores Terushima’s stare.

After a moment, he pushes back the paper, and nods, “You got six wrong.”

Terushima blinks, “Oh.”

Kuroo then smiles, “That’s a low B. That’s passing, my dude.”

Terushima stares, before he gasps, “What! Really?!”

“Yep.” Kuroo crosses his arms, “You’re ready, young Padawan.”

Terushima laughs, and throws his hands up, “No way! Yes! Yes!”

Bokuto pops in around the corner, fluffy hair, wide eyes and all, “I heard shouting!”

“I only got six wrong!” Terushima grins, and Bokuto smiles too.

“Bro!”

“I know!!”

“Dude.” Terushima throws out his hand, and Kuroo claps it. “Dude, I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I can think of a few ways.” Kuroo says smoothly, and grins at the look on Terushima’s face.

“Guys, let’s go celebrate!”

Terushima rubs the back of his head, hands brushing against soft shaved hair, “ Ahh…it was…it was only a practice test.”

“Still.” Bokuto winks, “Any excuse to go drink is a good one.”

Terushima grins, “Oh, now you’re talking.”

“You’re a horrible influence.” Kuroo snorts, but stands up to grab his car keys anyways.  Bokuto waves him off, wrapping an arm around Terushima’s shoulders.

Kuroo watches Terushima slide an arm around Bokuto’s waist in return- Kuroo turns his head and smiles.

* * *

 

“So like…” Bokuto sits forwards, and stares at Terushima’s mouth, “…does it hurt?”

“Still?” Terushima asks, “Nah.”

“How long until it stopped hurting though?”

“Oh man.” Terushima blinks, and swirls his beer, “Maybe a month?”

“Hm.” Bokuto blinks, “That’s not so bad.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Kuroo answers smoothly. They’re on Johzenji’s couch- a few members are playing a video game, squished together up by the T.V.

“Aww, why not?” Bokuto pouts. “Teru and I could be like, tongue ring buddies.”

“Because you’re studying to be a _P.E. Teacher._ ” Kuroo stresses, flicking his bicep. “What would your boss say?”

“He’d probably say _dude nice tongue ring.”_

 _“_ No. No he would not.”

Terushima laughs, an arm thrown over the back of the couch comfortably.

Bokuto clicks his tongue, and turns back to Terushima. He tips his head a little, and asks, “What does it feel like?”

“Hmm.” Terushima rolls his tongue around in his mouth, before he grins, “Wanna find out?”

And for the first time in months, Bokuto is stunned silent. Kuroo snorts before he laughs, slapping his knee like an old man.  

Bokuto is still staring, before he opens his mouth to reply- Kuroo lightly punches his arm, and says, “Do _not_ answer that.”

Terushima is grinning, but Kuroo can see his cheeks underneath the light, and they’re slightly pink.

Bokuto snickers, “See! I knew flirty Teru was still in there somewhere.”

“Yeah, go figure.” Terushima looks to his black nails- one is slightly chipped.

Kuroo studies him- he studies the nervous look that he tries to hide- he studies the way his hands slightly shake, and he considers confessing there and then.

But Kuroo is a patient person. So he waits.

* * *

 

It’s growing colder outside; they no longer hear birds chirping as they walk. Kuroo has his hand woven together with Bokuto’s and its sweet and warm. They’re walking to their car when they hear shouting. At first Bokuto perks up, like a dog, head looking over to the space between two of the school buildings. Kuroo grabs his arm to stop him.

“Bokuto-“

They hear a shout, and a familiar voice that yells back,

“Fuck off!”

There’s a gross smacking sound- like a fist hitting skin- and Kuroo lets go of Bokuto’s arm immediately.

They grip their backpacks and run towards the alley- Bokuto runs in first, fists coiled, guns blazing, with Kuroo hot on his tail.

It’s dark here- the sun has already begun its decent past the apex of the sky, and the alleyway is shaded. It’s wet from the nearby gutter, and their shoes slosh in the muck.

They slide around the corner, and see Terushima standing by himself, nose bloody, hands bruised. His chin is slightly split open, and blood spews out of the wound and down his pale neck. His muscles are tensed, and there’s a horrifyingly serious look in Terushima’s eyes. Kuroo is reminded of that party- of the day Kuroo broke up the fight between Bokuto and Terushima.

There’s two other students;  their backpacks are thrown to the floor. One has red hair, and cradles his arm, and the other has his tattooed hands clenched into fists. Kuroo sees a body on the ground, and panics- he recognizes a Johzenji boy, Arata. He looks to be okay- he’s just got a bruise on his eye. Kuroo looks at Terushima’s posture, and its suddenly very obvious that he’s defending him.

“You’re such a fuckin’ asshole.” The redhead hisses, “Thinking you’re such tough shit.”

“Dude, I didn’t do shit to you.” Terushima wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, “You came after Arata with no warning. That’s bad manners, bro.”

Terushima’s tone is joking, but his eyes are deadly. There’s no other word to describe it, other than deadly.

Bokuto is fearless, and jogs forwards, yelling, “Hey!”

Terushima’s eyes flicker, as if switched by a light- they widen, and his mouth opens slightly.

“B-bo…“

“Hey, fuck off.” The tattooed guy snaps, “Unless you want to get hurt.”

And Kuroo smiles, because really, these guys have no idea who they’re messing with.

“Oh ho?” Kuroo drags his hands out of his pockets. He’s not a fighter, but he knows how to throw a punch if he has to.  “You guys should leave.”

The two students glare up at him, for they are in fact, shorter. Their attention is more focused on Bokuto- surprisingly enough, Bokuto can pull off an intimidating face when he wants to- which is what he’s currently doing, right now. He stalks up to stand by Terushima, posture strong.

Terushima smirks.

The two students look to each other and hiss, before turning back to Terushima with a glare, “This isn’t over.”

“Whatever.” Terushima replies, and he looks exhausted. “I’ll just kick your ass again.”

One of the idiots makes a move to jump forwards, and Bokuto straightens himself, making his body seem even taller- the redhead pulls his friend back with a growl.

They stalk away from Bokuto and Terushima, and prepare to pass Kuroo- but the taller sticks out his arm, blocking their path. Their eyes look up venomously, and Kuroo smiles as nicely as he can.

“Oh? One last thing.” Kuroo leans down, a wicked grin on his face, and says, low, “If you touch either  of them ever again, I’ll have both of your asses arrested so fucking fast. Got it?”

Pure panic washes over their faces, and they tear past Kuroo’s arm with vigor.

Bokuto laughs behind him, slinging an arm around Terushima’s waist to keep him steady, “Woo! Kuroo, that was so hot. I love whenever you do that.”

“Check on the kid, idiot.”

“Right, right.”

“No. I’m okay.” Arata stands up, and braces his hand up against the wall. “They only punched me once.”

Bokuto reaches over to help him stand, but Arata tells the truth- he looks to be okay. Terushima on the other hand, looks like shit. His white sleeveless shirt is collecting blood like a sponge, and his eyes are losing their usual focus.

“Alright Arata. I’ll walk you home.” Kuroo digs into his pocket, and chucks the car keys to Bokuto, who catches it one hand. “Bo, take Terushima back to our place and fix his chin.”

There is a considerable amount of blood rushing out of the split - Terushima is pressing the bottom of his shirt against the wound to stop the bleeding, but it’s pretty bad.

“No, it’s fine.” Terushima sniffs.

“Shut up, you look like hell. ”

“Rude.” 

Bokuto looks at Terushima, before turning back to Kuroo, “Do I butterfly it shut?”

“Teru, do you have insurance?”

“No.”

“Yeah, butterfly it.” Kuroo places a hand on Arata’s back, and steers him out of the alleyway, “I’ll be back soon.”

Arata stumbles but thanks Kuroo for the hand that grabs his arm, and steadies him. He pauses, and turns back to look at Terushima. He shouts “Yuuji! Thank you!”

Terushima pauses, before he grins back, “Anytime, bro.”

* * *

 

Kuroo is not running. He is _speedwalking._ You could call it a brisk walk, if you may.

Ah, fuck it. Kuroo is practically running.

He jogs up the steps to their apartment, and unlocks the door quickly.

He calls as he locks the door behind him, “Guys, I’m back!”

There’s a faint, “In the bathroom!” – and Kuroo stumbles towards the voice.

He stops in the doorway-Terushima is sitting up on the counter, pouting, as Bokuto stands between his legs- he finishes placing butterfly bandages across the slight split in his chin. Terushima is holding a rag covered in blotches of blood- and Kuroo recognizes it as their kitchen towel. He has half a mind to yell at Bokuto, but is more concerned with the bleeding man sitting on his bathroom counter.

Bokuto is so gentle- strong hands gently smoothing little butterfly band aids over the wound. Terushima is looking down at him with such a soft look in his eye, that it catches Kuroo off guard, for just a moment.

But he slides in, and looks at Bokuto’s work- he’s actually done quite well.

“How you doin’, man?”

“Fine.” Terushima grits out, “You didn’t have to bring me back here-“

“Holy shit dude, shut up.” Kuroo says, and reaches towards his face softly. Terushima flinches, but lets Kuroo drag his thumb up and around the bruise on his cheek. “Damn.”  He turns his head gently, and studies Terushima’s nose. It’s not broken. Good.

Terushima’s voice is raspy, “Is it going to scar?”

“It was a small split.” Bokuto says, stuffing the bandages back in the zip lock bag. “If you don’t fuck with it, it should heal up okay.”

Terushima sighs, and nods once.

“So.” Kuroo begins, and leans forwards, his hands bracing on either sides of Terushima’s thighs. Terushima looks down, straight into Kuroo’s eyes, and listens as Kuroo asks, “You wanna’ tell us what that was all about?”

“Ah…well…” Terushima begins, and stares down at Kuroo’s hands. “Those two asshats have some kind of personal vendetta against me- I dunno. They went after Arata, and I was fuckin’ pissed.”

“You could’ve gotten your ass beat, dude.” Bokuto crosses his arms.

“Exactly. You can’t just run in there like D'Artagnan.”

"Yeah, bro, you gotta' bring the rest of the three musketeers with ya'."

Terushima rolls his eyes, “I was fine. I didn’t ask for your help.”

“Hm.” Kuroo says, and studies his face, before pulling away. “That doesn’t mean we don’t give a shit.”

Terushima looks up in surprise, and watches Kuroo leave the room. Bokuto winks once, and follows him out.

Later that evening, right as Terushima is about to leave- he slides his arms around Kuroo’s waist and whispers _thank you-_ before walking out the door.

* * *

 

Just as they said, Terushima’s chin heals up okay. He seems to stay out of trouble, momentarily. At least, Kuroo hopes it will last until after finals.

It’s not until one evening in Karasuno’s house, that Kuroo finds out Terushima’s plans for winter break.

The freshman and sophomores huddle around a bottle- spinning it and occasionally laughing.

Kuroo stands with a soda in his hand; he’s really trying to break the whole - _drink every time something sucks-_ attitude. Bokuto is half paying attention to their conversation, and half watching freckle kid flush as soon as the bottle lands on Hinata.  

“Yeah.” Suga continues, “I thought I really messed up, but I didn’t get that bad of a grade.”

“Of course you did well.” Kuroo rolls his eyes, “Suga, you’re hella smart.”

Suga pretends to be bashful, and hides in Daichi’s shoulder dramatically- who laughs, in turn.

They look down at the underclassmen once they hear screaming- Hinata has his fist drawn up in Yamaguchi’s shirt- he’s half straddling his lap, mouth moving forcefully across Yamaguchi’s. To everyone elses surprise, Yamaguchi is actually kissing him back, just as passionately. The funniest reaction is Tsukishima’s- eyes wide, mouth slightly open in surprise.

Kuroo brings a hand to cover his mouth, and watches Kageyama glare at a spot on the wall with enough intensity to kill.  

Kuroo spots Terushima with them- he’s giggling like mad next to Tanaka.

“Well.” Daichi states plainly, “Mark that off on the list of things I didn’t expect to see today.”

Bokuto snickers, “Ah, youth.”

“Shut up.” Kuroo laughs, and elbows him.

Suga dramatically sighs, “I do feel old. These guys have given me grey hairs. Did you know my hair used to be black?”

The three of them laugh, and Daichi squeezes Suga’s waist, “It did _not_ , shut up.”

Suga laughs, and opens his mouth to say something else- but Kuroo doesn’t hear it.

He’s more focused on Terushima, who is now spinning the bottle, a wicked grin on his face. It flips around a few times, before slowly crawling to a stop. It pauses right on Tsukishima, who looks completely neutral about the situation.

“Heyy, I got gangly dude.”

“Tsukishima.” The younger glares, and Terushima laughs.

“Yeah, yeah. Moon child. C’mere.”

Kuroo resists a laugh as Tsukishima completely refuses to move.

“Oooh! Tsukki, are you gonna chicken out?”

“No.  And don’t call me that, Tanaka.”

Terushima rolls his eyes, and crawls across the circle. Tsukishima looks up with bored eyes, and a terrible grin spreads across the elder’s face.

Kuroo elbows Bokuto, who perks up. He nods towards Terushima, who is now grabbing the back of Tsukishima’s head, and tipping it towards his own. The group is laughing, and gasping, even as Terushima tips his head some more, and kisses Tsukishima with force. They see silver slip across Tsukishima’s lips.

“Aw man.” Bokuto says out loud, thankfully, far enough away from the group, “Why can’t he be that forward with us?”

Daichi and Suga snicker. The shorter smiles, “Ah, yeah. I heard about that whole thing.”

“He just needs to tell us already.” Kuroo crosses his arms, “We’re totally cool with it.”

“You guys are poly?” Daichi asks, tipping his head a little.

Bokuto and Kuroo share a look, before turning back, “I mean, yeah. We’ve had a couple others date us before.”

“No way!”

“Mhmm. We didn’t tell a lot of people, but...” Kuroo shrugs, “It was cool.”

“Huh.” Suga blinks, “You guys really are the chilliest people at this school.”

Kuroo laughs, “Is that what they call us?” He looks to Bokuto- but the owl is staring at Terushima. He’s licked his way into Tsukishima’s mouth, hands steady behind his head. Tsukishima is actually kissing him back, which is something Kuroo thought he’d never see.

Terushima pops off his mouth with a grin, and pulls his hand away from Tsukishima’s blonde hair. “Ha? How was that?”

Tsukishima rolls his tongue around in his mouth, totally indifferent. He looks up and scowls, “Your tongue ring got caught on my lip.”

Tanaka and Nishinoya giggle and laugh, and watch Terushima shrug, “Just a causality of war.”

“Maaaan.” Bokuto pouts, “I want his tongue ring to catch on _my_ lip.”

“I’m kinkshaming.” Suga says immediately, and Kuroo breaks out in gross, pig snorting laughter.

* * *

 

Halfway through the party, Kuroo notices a very loud person missing- and it’s not Bokuto, because Bokuto is asleep with Hinata curled up in his arm, like a baby bird.

He wanders around the house, and passes the second-years playing Cards Against Humanity on the floor. Surprisingly enough, Daichi is playing with them, staring, horrified, at a card that says _Toni Morrison’s Vagina._

Kuroo slides open the black door, and peeks outside. It’s quiet- the grass could use a little help, and there’s a kiddy pool? pushed in the corner, filled with soap. Whatever. Kuroo has seen weirder things.

He spots exactly who he’s looking for- Terushima, crouched over on the bottom step of the porch, forearms resting on his thighs.

“I didn’t know you smoked.” 

Terushima looks up, a cigarette between painted black nails. He huffs a laugh, and turns back around.

“Only sometimes.”

“Hn.” Kuroo replies, and closes the door, taking a seat next to him. Terushima slides over, giving him room.

“Is something bugging you?”

“Not really.”

“Mm.” Kuroo nods, and holds out his hand. Terushima stares at him for a moment, before passing the cigarette to him. Kuroo takes it, despite knowing he shouldn’t- he places it between his lips and inhales, before passing it back. He feels it fill his lungs, and his mouth. Terushima watches him breathe out big circles. He sighs, “Out of respect, I’m going to ask that you don’t let Bokuto see you smoke.”

“Why’s that?” Terushima asks, flicking off some of the ash, before placing it back between his teeth.

“Bo and I agreed to quit last year.” Kuroo says, exhaling extra smoke. “It’s been hard on him.”

“Oh.” Terushima says plainly, and breathes out through his nose, “I’m sorry. Was it hard for you?”

“For a little bit.” Kuroo says honestly. “But I feel better. That shits not good for you.”

“Yeah…”

Kuroo looks over to him, and decides to not to give him the whole _don’t do drugs_ lecture. Terushima seems to already know.

“So what’s up?” Kuroo asks honestly.

Terushima flicks away more ash, and rests his hand on his knee, right over the frayed rip in his stonewashed jeans, “Nothing really.”

“Hmm.” Kuroo nods. He decides to change the subject, “Are you going home for winter break?”

“Haha.” Terushima spits, “No. I’m not.”

“Ah. Staying at the house?”

“Mm…yeah.” Terushima says, smoke on his lips. “But uh…I’ll be alone. Everyone else is going home.”

“Oh.” Kuroo blinks, his heart sinking a little, “Well-

“Come stay with us!”

Kuroo and Terushima turn around- Bokuto is standing there sheepishly, hair smooshed from his nap. He rubs his nose, “Aha…sorry…I came looking for you guys, and heard part of your conversation.”

Kuroo smiles, “It’s alright. How was your nap?”

“Good.” Bokuto smiles back, and plays with the hem of his shirt. “But um…I’m serious. You should come stay at our place.”

“For all of winter break?” Terushima blinks, “That’s a long time to intrude on you guys.”

“But it’s not safe to live alone.” Bokuto pushes his eyebrows together, “And it seems awfully lonely. Especially over Christmas!”

“Ah…shit...I…I can’t do that.” Terushima smiles, “Thank you though.”

“Why not?” Kuroo pipes up, and Terushima turns with wide eyes. “Our couch pulls out into a bed. You don’t have to spend the whole time there…but you can at least switch back and forth between houses.”

“But…aren’t you guys going home to see your families?” Terushima blinks.

Kuroo and Bokuto share a look. Bokuto shakes his head, “No, we don’t have the money to fly back. It’s fine though, we saw them for Thanksgiving.”

“Oh…” Terushima says, and seems to forget about the cigarette burning between his fingers. “That’s…that’s really okay?”

“I mean, it’s up to you, man.” Kuroo shrugs, standing up, and popping his back. He says on an exhale, “You’d be the one putting up with us.”

“Putting up with...” Terushima repeats with a laugh, “Okay, yeah. Sure. I accept.

* * *

 

They don’t see each other for a few weeks- finals occupy all their free time. Testing seems to go well; Kuroo feels good afterwards, and so does Bokuto.

On that last Friday, there’s frantic knocking at his door, and Kuroo is almost hesitant to open it- but he looks through the peephole and sees black and blonde hair- so he throws the lock.

He swings it open, and is met by Terushima, rocking back and forth on his heels excitedly.

“Kuroo!”

“Yes?”

“Did you get my text?”

“Ah…no, I-

“I took my math final! And I recognized everything on the test!” Terushiama smiles- and it’s so different from the Terushima he saw at that party- and so, so different from the Terushima he saw in that alley.

“Dude.” Kuroo says, and throws out his hand for a bro- hug, “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks!” Terushima pulls in, and slaps his free hand on Kuroo’s shoulder. “I really thought I would still bomb it.”

“The miracle of studying.”

“Ahah- shut up!” Terushima laughs, and stands back on his heels. He peeks around Kuroo, “Is Bo home?”

“Yep.” Kuroo nods towards their bedroom, “We’re watching a movie. Wanna join?”

“Yeah!” Terushima answers, and then stops himself. “Wait. Am I…”

“Interrupting anything? No.” Kuroo answers, and closes the front door. “We already had sex this morning.”

Terushima about chokes on his own spit, and Kuroo laughs, shoulders shaking. He slaps a hand on his back, and leaves him to cough in the middle of their livingroom.

He calls, “Bo, Terushima is here.”

“Yo! Teru!” Bokuto perks up. He’s shirtless, and still in fuzzy pajama pants. “How’d the test go?”

“Great!” Terushima grins, his blush barely noticeable. “Kuroo’s tutoring helped me a lot.”

Bokuto shoots him a thumbs up, and shuffles back into the bed. Kuroo crawls in next to him, snuggling into his arm.

Terushima stands at the foot of their bed, a little lost and awkward, until Bokuto pats the spot next to him.

“Come on, dude. We’re only like twenty minutes into this thing.”

“O-oh.” Terushima stutters, and it’s fucking adorable. He slides around the edge, and crawls up in the bed, a respectful distance away from Bokuto. “What are you watching?”

“Grease.”

Terushima snorts, and gets comfortable in the pillows. “Are you serious? What are you guys, fourteen?”

“Yes.” Bokuto and Kuroo answer together, and the movie resumes.

The younger laughs, “You two are secretly so lame.”

“Oh, not secretly.” Kuroo replies, “We are very open about our lame-ness.”

“It’s your fault for ever assuming we were cool in the first place.”

Terushima laughs, and it’s a sweet sound. Kuroo pokes Bokuto in the side gently- just a little sign that Bokuto picks up immediately. Bokuto snakes a strong arm around Terushima’s shoulders, and tugs him closer.

He chokes, “W-what are you-“

“It’s a snuggle pile, bro.” Bokuto answers. “No homo.”

“Oh, really?” Terushima raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t fight Bokuto, “Because this looks really gay, if you ask me.”

“Nah.” Kuroo snuggles into Bokuto more, laying his head on his chest, “Tooootally straight.”

“It’s just the law, man.” Bokuto replies smoothly, “Movies in the bedroom equal cuddles. I don’t make the rules.”

Kuroo looks up, and sees red flushing down the back of Terushima’s neck- but he looks happy, comfortably tucked into Bokuto’s free arm.

* * *

 

He doesn’t bring much the next week; a tooth brush, some toothpaste, a bunch of clothes shoved in a bag, a box of twizzlers, shampoo, conditioner, and a bottle of nail polish. Terushima isn’t super high maintenance, so Kuroo doesn’t worry.

He actually has no idea how this whole thing is going to go down; there’s a lot of testosterone under one roof now, but…it’s actually pretty fun. They wake up and make breakfast, Kuroo leaves for his part time job around ten, and makes it back by one. They fall into an easy rhythm, Terushima on their couch, but sometimes in their room, just to watch movies, of course.

Kuroo can feel tension winding, and winding, like a coil. He’s patient, but he can feel it- he knows Bokuto can too.

Terushima comes back one evening, three marshmallow guns tucked under his arm, and an evil smile on his face- so, you know, shit is about to _go down._

Kuroo trusts no one, his gun loaded, hiding behind the couch. He hears a scuffle- and ducks, rolling across the ground. He shoots up, and sees Bokuto jump from the chair, and onto the kitchen table.

“Fuck!” Kuroo yells, and does a combat roll. He hears Bokuto yell, and he can hear marshmallows shooting past his body. He scrambles to his feet, and scurries towards the bedroom.

A body jumps out of the closet, and Kuroo totally does not shriek.

He aims his gun, but Terushima is way too fast- three pops, and Kuroo is done. He dramatically places a hand over his heart, and coughs. He drops his gun,  falling to his knees, “Teru…shima…”

The younger laughs, but resumes his role, “You lost, Kuroo.”

There’s shrieking; Bokuto barrels in, now shirtless, yelling, “You killed my boyfriend! You bastard!”

R.I.P. their neighbours.

Kuroo laughs, before falling down onto his back, clutching his chest. He coughs once, “Avenge me….”

Bokuto does a war cry, and aims his gun- unfortunately, he’s a horrible shot. He hits the poster on the wall, as well as a cup on the bedside table. Terushima laughs and aims for Bokuto’s chest. He pops him right in the shoulder, and Bokuto pauses with a gasp.

“You…” Bokuto looks down, and gives a dramatic laugh, “…clever girl.”

Terushima breaks out into laughter, even as Bokuto slumps down next to Kuroo on the ground.

“Kuroo…my love…” Bokuto coughs, and places a hand on Kuroo’s face, who is still pretending to be dead, “…I’ll be with you soon…”

Terushima laughs and laughs, dropping his gun to the floor, “Holy shit, you guys are so dramatic.”

Kuroo snickers from beyond the grave, and Bokuto gasps, popping up on his elbows. “Kuroo! You’re alive!”

Kuroo peeks open an eye with a smile, “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Bokuto gives out a fake sob, and grasps Kuroo’s face with both hands. He kisses him long, and deep, and it actually steals Kuroo’s breath away. He gasps, and almost forgets about their third party- he tangles his fingers in Bokuto’s hair, and tugs, back still on the floor. Lips slide together, and a tongue pokes into his mouth.

Terushima shifts above them, and laughs, awkwardly, “Alright guys, very touching.”

Bokuto pops away with a slick gasp. He looks up to Terushima, who is already walking away.

* * *

 

They’re curled up on Terushima’s bed-couch, Jurassic park now playing due to Bokuto’s stupid reference earlier.

Terushima is oddly silent. He’s on the opposite side of the bed, head resting in his hand.

Bokuto squeezes Kuroo's hand, before he brings it to his lips, and presses a kiss to his palm. Terushima is still silent, and Kuroo isn’t sure what to do.

But Bokuto, the ever so faithful, looks over and beckons with his hand, “Hey, come here.”

Terushima perks up, “Huh?”

“Join the snuggle pile, bro.”

“But um…” Terushima blinks, “This…this isn’t bedroom rules.”

“Nah.” Kuroo says, “It’s cuddle rules.”

Terushima swallows, but slides closer. Kuroo watches Bokuto slide an arm around Terushima’s shoulders.

Suddenly there is a nose in his hair. Kuroo looks up to see wide gold eyes- they’re speaking, despite Bokuto’s lips pressed still. Kuroo stares into them, and understands.

Bokuto is tired of waiting.

Well, so is Kuroo.

He gives a nod, and Bokuto smiles, meeting him halfway for a kiss.

“Hey.” Terushima chokes out, “I’m _right here._ ”

“That’s alright.” Bokuto responds immediately, “You know, since that party, I _have_ wanted to feel what that tongue ring is like.”

Terushima’s body seems to freeze, from his head, to his toes. His eyes flicker between Bokuto and Kuroo’s faces, before he laughs, like the nervous reaction it is. “Oh? I’m not sure you can handle it.”

“Hm. I’m pretty sure I can.” He turns, “Do _you_ think I can, Kuroo?”

“Definitely.”

“Mums the word.”  Bokuto replies with a grin.

Terushima’s cheeks are a ghostly pink, and his hands seem to shake a little, but his voice is forced steady, “Alright, come feel, then.”

Bokuto pulls his arm back from Kuroo, giving him the ability to turn. He reaches up with a stable hand, and brushes past the undercut. It’s soft, and fuzzy, long, and short. Bokuto leans forwards, tipping his head, and Terushima doesn’t wimp out- he meets him halfway, that silver bead slipping past Bokuto’s mouth.

Kuroo is beyond interested; Bokuto really likes French kissing, and Terushima obviously does as well. They seem to have met each other’s match; Bokuto’s tongue runs up and around Terushima’s tongue ring, tracing teeth, and tasting his soul, almost. Terushima’s body is completely sagged- completely passive. He seems malleable, like Kuroo could reach out and shape him into whatever he desired.

Bokuto breathes out through his nose, and licks into his mouth, hands pulling on hair. Terushima’s hands are forced still by his sides, barely trembling. Bokuto swipes a thumb down and across his healing chin. Soon there will be no mark at all-nothing to remind Terushima of that fight in the alley.

Kuroo watches, and can only think _fuck they're so hot._

Bokuto is the one to pull back, eyes opening, smile pulling wide. Terushima shakily grins too.

“Neat.” Bokuto winks, “I like.”

“My turn~.” Kuroo sings, and Terushima tenses.

“Uhh-“

“Is that alright?”

“Y-yeah!” Terushima swallows, and tries to look passive, “Its, uh, whatever man.”

“Cool.” Kuroo says, and taps Bokuto’s bicep. The other understands; he tugs Terushima into his lap, who flops, like jelly. Kuroo slides up to him, and slips his hands into the hair he’s wanted to touch so badly-indeed, it is quite soft.

Terushima looks down at him, and doesn’t move as Kuroo kisses him.

He doesn’t taste like cigarette smoke. He doesn’t taste like twizzlers. He doesn’t taste like spaghetti, and he doesn’t taste like beer.

He just tastes like Terushima. It’s nice, and sweet, and Kuroo chases it. He chases, and chases, his bottom lip sliding against Terushima’s, because he waited _so long_ for this. He didn’t even know that he waited so long- he didn’t know he _wanted_ so badly, but here he is.

This little shit- this little bully that ruined Bokuto’s backpack, and gave him a black eye. This little brat that pushed Kuroo in a pool, and grabbed his ass. This scary beast, that drips blood and punches with speed. This adorable, cute little flushing sophomore that paints his nails and giggles like a lolicon girl.

Kuroo really likes this person. He likes him in the same way that his chest swells, and his heart beats, and his palms sweat whenever he thinks about Bokuto.

Terushima’s lips are trembling, and Kuroo soothes over them with his tongue. He ghosts his fingers down and around Terushima’s ears; he feels over each piercing, and each ring, just as he traces Terushima’s tongue with his own. He wants to feel this ring ghost across his neck- he wants to feel it slide down and around his chest, and he wants to feel it on his cock. He wants it to slide across the pillows as he fucks into him- he wants it to say the words Kuroo has been starved for.

Terushima breaks the kiss, shaking, and visibly upset. A dark, dark pit settles in Kuroo’s stomach, and guilt washes across him.

“Sorry.” Kuroo blurts out, “Did i-“

“I can’t do this.” Terushima gasps, fumbling of Bokuto’s arms, “I’m…I can’t-“

Kuroo and Bokuto share a look- they’re both worried. Bokuto turns and says, “No, we understand, we’re sorry that we-“

“I like you guys.” Terushima exclaims, his dark fingernails digging into the couch cushions, “I like you guys. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Wait…” Kuroo squints, “What?”

“If…if this is just a…” Terushima waves his hand around, “…if this is just a game I…I’m sorry. Its…it’s serious to me.” He knows that sentence didn't make sense, so he repeats, “This isn’t a game to me.”

The room is silent. The air swirls around them, it seeps into their lungs, past tongues, and out noses. It’s thick, and foggy.

Bokuto and Kuroo look to each other, before they grin.

“Is that it?”

“W-what?” Terushima blinks.

“Yeah, buddy.” Kuroo pats Bokuto’s thigh, “We know. We like you too.”

Terushima blanches, “W-wait, _what?!_ ”

“It was pretty obvious.” Bokuto giggles.

“But we thought we were being pretty obvious too.” Kuroo says, and motions to the couch-bed, “I mean, we did offer to have you live with us for a few weeks.”

Terushima looks as if his brain has snapped in two, like a twig. Cogs turn in his mind, slowly, as he gasps, “But…but you guys are nice to everyone? Fuck! You guys knew!?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Since that Johzenji party.”

“Holy shit.” Terushima presses his face into his hands, “You motherfuckers.”

Bokuto grins, and wiggles over to him, wrapping his arms around his waist, “Come back to us, I want that tongue ring back.”

Terushima allows himself to budge- he lets Bokuto tug him over, and he buries his face in Bokuto’s neck.

His voice is muffled, “You guys really…you actually…”

“Of course.” Kuroo smiles, and is happy, because he’s finally free to reach up and rub circles into the lumps that make up Terushima’s spine.

Terushima lets out a whine, and they laugh.

“Wow, you’re so interesting, Teru.” Bokuto worms an arm around his waist, protectively, “You can be all badass, yet here you are, all blushy and cute.”

“Shut up.” Terushima refuses to move his face. “I’m happy.”

“Us too.” Kuroo grins, “Us too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LINGO COUNT: 
> 
> dude: 11
> 
> bro: 6 
> 
> man: 6


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i thought i could tell this story in four chapters, but it looks like its gonna be 5, sorry folks 
> 
> note* please check out [this](http://tamflakes.tumblr.com/post/142974072433/from-zanimez-s-wonderful-story-the-trifecta-aka/) beautiful art done by tamflakes for the last chapter, i legit cried

 

This was probably too fast. They should take their time, establish boundaries, talk this whole thing out. They should ask questions and give answers and take this slow. 

But really, that's so out of character. That's not really  _their_  style. Kuroo, like sly, forceful wind, Bokuto, like strong rushing water, and Terushima, like a wild, blazing fire. They were never meant to  _be_  slow. 

So Kuroo licks a long stripe up Terushima's chest, and settles at his collarbones, delving his tongue between the divot there. His skin is just as soft as he imagined- smooth, and completely hairless. 

Kuroo's waited for this; and he's ready to reap the rewards- and honestly, by the looks of it, Terushima is too. His face is flushed, but determined, sharp eyes narrowed, like a hunter. 

Terushima's shyness has flown out the metaphorical window- he's kissing Bokuto, wet, slick sounds escaping them both. Terushima breathes out through his nose and tugs on Bokuto's hair. Bokuto, having grown up with sisters who loved playing hairdresser, is practically immune to hairpulling- so Terushima pulls harder, and catches his tongue ring on Bokuto's bottom lip. It splits a little cut- a very small amount of blood seeps out, and Terushima licks over it.

The room is hot, and growing hotter, but thats okay. Kuroo likes it that way.

Kuroo hums, and licks over Terushima's nipple, just for the fun of it. He's completely in love with the reaction he gets- a full body shiver, and a glare. 

"Oh ho?" Kuroo grins. 

Bokuto breaks the kiss to laugh, "Oh ho ho?" 

"Shut up." Terushima spits with no venom, "Both of you." 

Bokuto reaches down to brush over the nipple closest to him- the one that Kuroo isn't hovering over. He presses a kiss below Terushima's ear, and swipes his thumb across the bud. Terushima reluctantly shivers again, and Bokuto laughs. He says against his hair, "Oh, fuck yeah." 

"I should've known." Terushima swallows, and watches Kuroo slide down his thighs, mouth nipping into his hip. 

"Hm?" 

"That both of you would still be two teasing fucks." Terushima slides his hand down and across the hairs on Bokuto's neck. He circles around Bokuto's ear, and back up into his hair. It's a warm gesture, and it doesn't go unnoticed. 

"Mmm...it's what we're good at." Kuroo purrs, and dips his fingers into Terushima's jeans. They're a little big on him around the waist, the slack pooling in the back by an inch, so Kuroo slides his fingers into the space, and gives a small tug. With his hipbones now visible, Kuroo is free to press his mouth against new skin. He can feel Terushima's hardon pressing against his forearm, and he grins into his hip. 

"But Teru, isn't that what you're good at too?" Bokuto grins, his mouth moving across the tendons in his neck. 

"Nnn." The younger shivers. Kuroo can feel Terushima watching him, so he bites gently at soft skin. Terushima sucks in a breath, and says snarkily, "Yeah, you're right. Sit me up." 

"What?" 

"I can do more than just sit here." Terushima flirts, wiggling out from underneath Kuroo. The elder has half a mind to protest- but right now, they haven't talked of boundaries, or safe-words, so Kuroo considers it best to just follow whatever Terushima wants to do. 

The younger sits up, and gestures with his hand, drawing Kuroo towards him. Really, Kuroo isn't going to complain. He sits up against the back of the bed, hands limp at his sides. 

Terushima looks, and looks, before he grins, and says, "Hey Bo, undress your boyfriend." 

Bokuto doesn't hesitate to move forwards, but he does smile, and say, "Um,  _ours._ " 

Terushima swallows- Kuroo sees red flush down his neck, but he smiles nevertheless. Bokuto slides between Kuroo's thighs, hands unzipping his jeans like an expert- and Kuroo moves, because they can't expect Kuroo to just sit here- like  _hello,_  he's hard as fuck. He tugs Bokuto's face towards his own, dipping his tongue past Bokuto's lips, and tasting what's left of Terushima's tongue. Bokuto yanks off his jeans in one go, bringing his underwear with them. 

Kuroo has no shame- he spreads his thighs a little wider, and hears Terushima mutter a curse next to him. Bokuto's hands move off of muscle memory; he slides them down Kuroo's chest, down his hips, and around his thighs. He squeezes, hard, thumbs digging into muscle, and Kuroo groans. 

He could do this forever- but that's not the point. He pushes Bokuto back with the palms of his hands, and turns to the younger. Terushima is staring at him, eyes following bare skin. 

Of course, Kuroo is feeling especially smug today, so he places a hand behind his head dramatically, and poses, propping a thigh up on Bokuto's shoulder. He wiggles his eyebrows, "Like what you see?" 

Terushima is mid shrugging out of his jeans- he flushes before he laughs, pressing his head in his right hand, "Damn, Kuroo. Can you not?" 

Bokuto is giggling into his hand, and turns his head to kiss the knee by his head, before slipping back. "Hey, Teru, come here." 

The younger nods, and kicks off his pants, climbing forwards. Bokuto is strong- always so strong. He wraps his arms around Terushima and forces him onto Kuroo's lap, straddling him backwards- and Kuroo is still standing at 100% attention, so his cock slips against the skin of Terushima's bare back. Both of them shutter, and Bokuto grins, running a hand up and through Terushima's hair. 

"Your hair is so soft dude." 

"Thanks. So is yours." Terushima states, and is obviously not a stranger to all this, because he rocks his hips back towards Kuroo- the elder groans, and smacks his head against the back of the bed frame. 

Bokuto is still wearing the most clothing, so Terushima takes it upon himself to tug Bokuto's shirt off. It gets caught on his head for a moment, but a second tug has it off completely. Terushima sits and stares, blinking rapidly at his chest. He pauses, and says, "Goddamn. I'll never get used to this." 

"Nice, right?" Kuroo purrs into the back of Terushima's neck, shaved hair brushing his nose. Kuroo decides that his new aesthetic is Terushima's shivers- because as soon as he moves his mouth against Terushima's neck, he receives  another full body tremor, and fuck, is it sexy. 

"I thought you..." Terushima swallows, and feels Kuroo's cock slide up against the top of his ass, "...I thought you only went to the gym three times a week." 

"I do." Bokuto states, looking down at himself in question. 

"You're a fucking liar." Terushima says, hands reaching out to scale the muscle. It's not too firm, or too soft. He's just the right amount of sculpted, unadulterated sexy. 

Bokuto doesn't reply to that- he just slides forwards, mouth brushing against Terushima's lightly. Kuroo rocks his hips upwards, and Bokuto reaches around to the bedside table. He tosses the lube to Kuroo, who happily takes it.

They can see Terushima's eyes widen just a fraction, and Kuroo shakes his head before he can get any ideas, "No, no. Not right now, buddy."

"Don't call me buddy while your dick is rubbing against my ass." Terushima deadpans. Kuroo laughs, and warms the lube in his fingers, before sliding it around himself- he ruts up against the top of Terushima's ass once more, and it feels a hundred thousand times better. 

Terushima lets out a little  _oh_  noise, and doesn't notice Bokuto sinking down between his thighs. Kuroo presses his mouth against the nape of his neck again, hands reaching around to ghost up and around his chest. He purposefully avoids his nipples, and says, "Fuck, Teru, you're such a turn on." 

"Hi kettle, I'm pot." Terushima replies plainly. Kuroo laughs, and thrusts his hips upwards- a hand coming down to tug Terushima's underwear down just a little- although, it seems as if Bokuto is already on the job. 

He dips his fingers beneath the fabric and tugs, releasing Terushima's stupid hard cock. It springs upwards, and Bokuto lets out a very loud gasp. 

_"No fucking way!"_

"What?" Kuroo asks, and Terushima lets out an embarrassed laugh. 

Bokuto looks up through his eyelashes, and says, "Are you serious? Is this real life?" 

"What? What?" 

"Holy shit Kuroo." Bokuto leans forwards, hands resting on Terushima's bare thighs. "Kuroo, you have  _got_  to get down here." 

"Oh my god." Terushima presses his fingers to his temple. "Bo." 

Kuroo tries to look around Terushima's shoulder, but he still can't see. "What?" 

"A  _prince albert?!_ " Bokuto gasps. "This might be the greatest day of my life." 

"Wait, are you fucking serious?" Kuroo gasps, and now he's really desperate to look around Terushima. 

"It was my first piercing." Terushima says, and trembles when Bokuto squeezes his thigh again. 

"This is amazing." 

Kuroo huffs, head plopping back against the head board. He wants to see  _so, so_ bad- so he grins, and reaches around Terushima to feel for it. 

The younger tenses beneath him, and doesn't move. Kuroo presses his fingers around his bellybutton, down his navel, and between his legs. He wraps his hand around the base of his cock- it fits nicely in his hand- and he trails upwards, thumbs smoothing around the head. Sure enough, there's a little stud right at the front. He circles around it, and Terushima groans, thighs squeezing against Kuroo's, as well as Bokuto's right hand. 

"Ohhh." Kuroo purrs, "I like." 

"F-fuck." Terushima shivers, and gives a little thrust up into Kuroo's hand. 

Bokuto looks up through his eyelashes, "Mmm, Teru?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Can I suck your dick?" 

Terushima groans, head falling back against Kuroo's shoulder, bare ass rubbing against lube and Kuroo's cock. 

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Bokuto says, and sinks between his legs. Terushima nods his head, groaning. 

Kuroo  doesn't know how good Terushima's stamina is, but he  _does_  know that this is about to end soon. Bokuto is the end all, be all, champion of sucking dick. His big mouth isn't just good for hotdog eating contests and karaoke. 

Bokuto is done playing around; he  takes him all the way down, Terushima filling his mouth, lips at his base. Terushima practically  _sobs,_ nails digging into Bokuto's hair, ass sliding back. Kuroo groans low in his ear, and Terushima shivers. 

"Hhnn-" Terushima pants, "You're-" 

Bokuto hums around him, and slides up, tongue dipping across the piercing. He sits back and licks his lips with a grin. "Hm, Kuroo. It feels weird. I really like it." 

"Damn, next time it's my turn." Kuroo says, and presses his fingers into Terushima's hips. 

"Can you guys n-not-" Terushima groans, rocking up into Bokuto's mouth, "-talk about me as if i'm not here. Y-you jackasses." 

Bokuto hums, tongue squirming around in his mouth as he bobs his head. Kuroo feels bad, but he can't help but laugh- it's like watching someone discover magic. Terushima's eyes are wide, and his breathing is deep, and there's noises spilling out of his throat. 

And now Kuroo knows that Terushima is loud in bed, and that is totally a plus. 

Bokuto gives zero fucks about the lewd noises he's making around Terushima's cock. He flattens his tongue against the piercing, and bobs his head, occasionally sucking. Terushima is trying, keyword,  _trying_  to participate- he's rocking his hips a little, simultaneously fucking into Bokuto's mouth, while grinding against Kuroo. 

Kuroo hums, and gives a shiver of his own. This whole situation is just a major turn on; Terushima is actually super pretty, skin lightly shimmering from the sweat, pupils dilated, nails digging into the sheets- not to mention that Bokuto looks like something out of a porno. But like, a really classy porno. Kuroo isn't sure where this train of thought is taking him, but all he knows is that he might actually come against Terushima's back- so he pushes Terushima's hips slightly forwards, and away from him, in an attempt to last longer than ten minutes. 

He draws little circles on Terushima's hip bones- this whole thing is a little sloppy, and unorganized, but it's very  _them,_  and that's all that matters. They can have the rough, crazy, mindblowing sex later. Right now Kuroo just wants to watch Terushima squirm. 

Kuroo can't resist; he turns Terushima's head, and forces him into a kiss. It's a little awkward, and both of their necks strain, but none of that matters. It's just a sweet kiss: one that says, _I'_ _ve got you,_  and one that replies,  _i know, I've got you too._

Bokuto chooses that exact moment to deepthroat Terushima, and Kuroo gets the satisfaction of feeling him nearly scream against his lips. 

" _Fuck._ " Terushima pulls his head away, back arching away from Kuroo. "Holy-" Bokuto swallows once, and Terushima's hands fly to his hair, as if magnetized. He screeches, "Bokuto, Bokuto no, no, don't-" 

Kuroo ruts forwards; he slows his breathing, and mumbles in his ear, lips kissing metal, "No, it's okay." 

"I'm not- hnn-" Terushima shutters, and tugs on Bokuto's hair, who refuses to move, "-i'm n-not usually this f-hh- fast, it's just  _fuck, you guys-_ " 

Bokuto is totally getting off on this- his right hand is between his legs as his other digs into Terushima's thigh. He's relentless, picking up pace, looking up at both Kuroo and Terushima through his eyelashes. 

"It's okay." Kuroo translates for him, forcefully steadying his voice. He speaks low, and brushes his fingers up and over his left nipple,  "Look at him. He wants you to. " 

Terushima  _keens,_  and it's probably one of the best sounds Kuroo has ever heard- although, Bokuto is capable of making some pretty damn good noises too. 

Like now-as he licks around the stud, and kisses down to his navel, before swallowing Terushima back down, and edging him on with his eyes. 

"He's being so good for you." Kuroo mumbles against his piercings, "Reward him." 

Like magic, Terushima surges, eyes squeezing shut, black nails digging around Bokuto's head. Kuroo rocks up against him, and holds him- he presses his hands into Terushima's stomach, and can  _feel_  the muscles tensing. He can feel the rumbling begin his chest, and travel up his throat- it shapes into a moan at his tongue, and escapes through clenched teeth. 

Bokuto looks like a damn kid in a candy store- eyes studying Terushima's face as he swallows. Kuroo peeks around his shoulder to look at him, and is so proud. 

"Ahh, so good." Kuroo praises both of them, and holds Terushima through the aftershocks. 

 Terushima trembles and curses, body sagging. Bokuto pulls back, and sits up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

It's silent for a moment; there's nothing but ragged breathing. 

Until Terushima feels Kuroo still hard against his back, and sees Bokuto pulling his hand out of his pants- 

He grins, and says, "Alright. My turn." 

* * *

 

They spend a long time talking. They talk, and talk. They talk about fears- their likes, and dislikes. They talk about what happened those past few months- they talk about the teasing, and they talk about apologizing. It's good. It's what they needed. 

Kuroo doesn't really have a set plan. He just figured that people would find out in due time. They'd see Bokuto or Kuroo holding Terushima's hand, or they'd see them all snuggling on a couch at a party. 

But no, of course, Bokuto is the one to post a picture on his snapchat story, a single photo of Bokuto taking a selfie over Kuroo and Terushima's sleeping figures, with the caption,  _guess who got a new boyfriend bitchessss???_

 Terushima was only mildly horrified to wake up to countless texts, mostly from Johzenji, typically along the lines of  _dude we left you alone for three weeks!!_  and  _YO CONGRATS ON GETTIN THAT D^2_

It was fine though. It was a breath of fresh air; no more feelings to hide, no more stupid pining.

* * *

 

They walk through the park wrapped in scarves and hats. Kuroo and Bokuto slaved over where they wanted to take Terushima on their first date. They argued, and argued, until Terushima finally laughed and said  _lets go somewhere simple-_  so they ended up here. The air is cold, but the skies are clear, and the sun keeps their cheeks warm. Their hands are all connected, almost humorously, much to Terushima's embarrassment. 

"Isn't this...kinda weird?" Terushima says, his hand wiggling against Kuroo's.  

"Bro, it's not weird unless you make it weird." Bokuto retorts, swinging Terushima's free hand as he walks. 

Terushima huffs out a laugh, "But like, we're going to get some super strange looks." 

"Who cares?" Kuroo quirks an eyebrow. "Don't act like you've never been on a date before." 

"Umm..." Terushima blinks, "I've uh, been on a few..." 

"...what?" 

"I mean." Terushima swallows, "Of course I've been out with people and shit, but like, I've never...with people I actually like... haha...fuck. I sound so lame." He laughs, looking away. 

"Wait, really?" Bokuto turns, now serious. "But like, haven't you slept with a lot of people?" 

"I mean, yeah." Terushima shrugs, "But that was always for fun. People usually call me up if they want a good fuck, not a good date." 

Kuroo halts- therefore causing Terushima to be yanked backwards, bringing Bokuto with him. Kuroo stares, "Really?" 

"Yeah?" Terushima blinks, plainly. 

Kuroo waits a moment, before he nods, "Alright. Bokuto, we have to make this the best date ever." 

Bokuto sucks in a deep breath, smiling all the way. "Dude! Hell yeah!" 

Terushima laughs, "No, it's fine. I'm happy with just this." 

"Come on, come on." Bokuto tugs him, now walking faster, "There's this one pond that has lots of swans and ducks and it's  _totally awesome-_ " 

Terushima laughs, jogging along, Kuroo following suit. 

It's not a flashy date. There's no limos, or suits, or expensive food- they're still in college, after all. So it's simple. A simple walk through the park. A simple stop at the coffee shop, to buy bread, and hot drinks. A simple laugh by the pond, as Bokuto tosses bread crumbs, a happy grin on his face. Simple handholding. Easy. Simple.

And in the end, when asked, Terushima does agree that it was the  _best date ever._

* * *

 

"Uh." Kuroo blinks, "What's going on here?" 

Bokuto looks up, grinning wildly. He waves his arms about, "Teru is painting my toes!" 

Kuroo looks down and -yep, innocently enough, Terushima is kneeling on the floor between Bokuto's legs to just paint his toes. It's a shiny silver color, to match his hair, and also his drying nails. 

"I swear..." Kuroo smiles, taking a seat on the couch next to Bokuto, "...I leave for  _four hours,_  and you're already playing without me." 

Terushima grins at the word  _playing,_  but chooses to stay silent. He sits back, setting Bokuto's foot back on the ground, "Alright, Bo. You're all ready to go." 

"I feel so pretty." Bokuto wiggles his fingers in Kuroo's face.

"That's because you are, my dude." Kuroo says, diving around his hands to kiss his forehead. Bokuto laughs, leaning around to kiss him back.

"So..." Terushima begins, setting down the bottle of nail polish, and climbing into Kuroo's lap, "How was work?"

"Ugh." Kuroo rolls his eyes, "This lady came in with her child, and then complained that we had, quote,  _nude ladies_  on the walls. I was like, ma'am, this is an adult tattoo and piercing shop. Please take your eight-year-old to Claire's down the street." 

Bokuto and Terushima laugh, heads whipping back, shoulders shaking.

"Wow." Terushima wipes away a tear, "I still think it's funny that  _you_  work at a tattoo shop, mister, _I'm-Studying-Business."_

"Hey." Kuroo laughs, squeezing his arms around his waist, "Money is money."

"She's a goooolddigger~"

"Shut up!" Kuroo laughs, squeezing him harder. Bokuto giggles at his side, still wiggling his fingers and his toes.

"So, lads." Bokuto begins, "What movie are you guys thinking tonight?"

"Something romantic."

"Something  _scary._ " 

Kuroo and Terushima turn to each other with a glare, and Bokuto laughs.

"Alright, so, something romantic  _and_  scary, got it." 

* * *

 

School begins again. Everyone files back from home, grudgingly so-

Which means that Terushima has to leave.

Except, he doesn't.

The conversation happens quickly- Terushima is packing up his bag, and Bokuto calls nonchalantly from the other room, "Hey, don't leave."

So he shrugs, tossing his bag to the couch, and crawling back in their bed.

Sometimes he sleeps at the Johzenji house. He leaves to go see friends, and party, and drink- but he also stays in with Bokuto and Kuroo more. He proudly parades around the school, holding their hand, ignoring the glares of enemies. 

And Kuroo is happy. School has started again, but he's _so_ happy. Bokuto is too, and that's especially important. 

Their apartment feels full, and it's good. It's so, so good. 

Kuroo wakes up, and patters into the kitchen to find someone already there. Terushima is hovering over the stove in nothing but Bokuto's big floppy t-shirt. His legs look so soft, especially under the light that pours in from the kitchen window. It’s a gorgeous sight, and Kuroo just stands there for a moment, taking it all in.

Kuroo waits, before he wanders behind him and wraps his arms around his waist, propping his head on Terushima's shoulder. 

The shorter, having already heard him awake, doesn't jump, but instead turns his head to grin. "Hey." 

"You're up early." Kuroo notes, "It's before noon." 

"Hey, man." Terushima huffs playfully, and turns back to his pan of eggs, "I was hungry." 

"Hmm." Kuroo nods, but doesn't move. He watches Terushima cook- surprisingly well. He puts in the right amount of salt, and adds a few chopped up peppers. He studies his slender hands that lead up to strong arms. Kuroo asks, "Are you making an omelet?" 

"Yeah." Terushima nods, "You want one?" 

"Hell yeah." Kuroo squeezes his waist. He dips his hands down and around his hips, feeling for the bones there. "I didn't know you could cook." 

"Eh." Terushima flips over the egg, "I couldn't, until I moved into the Johzenji house. When you're living with so many dudes, you kinda gotta' learn." 

Kuroo huffs, "Oh, believe me. I know."

Terushima smiles, and flips the egg once more. “Are you…really okay with me staying here?”

“Stop.” Kuroo snaps, “I’m tired of hearing that question.”

“I’m serious though!” Terushima turns his head, “Two months is a long ass time to be housing someone. If you want me to leave just-“

“Alright.” Kuroo begins, cutting him off, “Let me consider my options. If you stay, I get to see my hot boyfriend parade around in my _other_ hot boyfriend’s shirt. I get to squeeze you whenever I want-“ he squeezes him, just for show, “- _and_ I get someone to cook me omelets. Here's what i get if you leave-“ Kuroo pauses for effect, and then blinks, “-none of that.”

Terushima’s shoulders relax, and he laughs, swaying back against Kuroo, “Okay, okay. As long as you guys are fine with it.”

“Please.” Kuroo rolls his eyes, and presses a kiss into Terushima’s hair, “Nothing could make Bo happier.”

There’s a distant call from the bedroom: “I smell omelets!”

Kuroo and Terushima freeze, before smiling, Kuroo laughing into Terushima’s hair. The younger sighs, “Alright, I guess I’m making _three_ omelets.”

There’s another distant shout from the bedroom, “Yay!”

* * *

 

“Dude.” Tanaka hiccups, throwing his hand up, “Can you guys, like, stop being so cute.”

Bokuto pauses, his right arm around Terushima’s shoulder, as Kuroo snuggles into his left. School only started a few weeks ago- but that doesn’t stop Karasuno from throwing a party.

Well, it’s less of a party, and more of a ‘friendly get together’, in Daichi’s words- but everyone knows it’s a party.

“Sorry.” Bokuto smiles sheepishly, “We just can’t help it.”

“Ugh.” Tanaka spits, “I can hardly get one boyfriend, let alone two.”

“Hm.” Kuroo frowns sympathetically, “Still struggling with Ennoshita, huh?”

“Uugghhh.” Tanaka flops down on the couch, beer actually spilling from his cup, “I don’t understand him.”

“He’s a nice guy.” Terushima blinks, “What’s the problem?”

“I _don’t know!”_ Tanaka huffs, “All I said was that I thought it would be totally rad if he sat on my face, and then he stomped off.”

“Wow. Romantic.”

“I know!” Tanaka pouts.

Nishinoya appears over the back of the couch, and pats Tanaka on the head, “Ryuu, you don’t have a single romantic bone in your body.”

“Not true!” Tanaka hiccups, “I know I have at least one.”

Terushima is the one to go _ooooh!_ – and meet him for a high five.

“Unbelievable.” Kuroo shakes his head, Bokuto snickering at his side. “I need more alcohol for this.”                                                                              

“Dude, I got you.” Nishinoya says, handing him a shot that he was saving for Asahi- but the gentle giant is currently passed out in the corner, already drunk.

“You’re the best.” Kuroo replies, taking it out of his hand, and tipping his head back.

“Oh babe.” Bokuto wiggles his hand around Kuroo’s thigh, “You’re going to feel that one tomorrow.”

“That’s the point.” Kuroo says, slamming the shot down on the coffee table.

“Get me one too.” Terushima lifts his hand up, “We can be in pain together.

“Aww.” Kuroo places a hand over his heart, and Bokuto laughs.

“Alright, alright. Me too. We’ll be the three musketeers of bad decision making.”

“That’s the spirit!” Nishinoya laughs, and bounces away to grab more shot glasses.

There’s shouting across the room- Kuroo looks up to see Daichi chugging a bottle of god knows what- competing against a Nekoma member.

“Hah.” Terushima smiles, “You know, these frat house parties seem to blend more and more every week.”

“You’re right.”

“Soon we’ll just be one big gay frat house.”

“Dude! That sounds rad as hell.”

They laugh, snuggling closer on the couch. A Johzenji member shouts across the room, “Hey! Teru! Come join!”

Terushima tenses at his side, but Bokuto pats his back, saying, “Go dude! We’re cheering for you.”

Terushima’s face lights up beautifully, and he leans forwards to press a kiss against Bokuto’s lips. Kuroo makes a little _ah, ah,_ noise, and points to his lips too. Terushima laughs, and kisses him as well, before bouncing off.

Kuroo throws his legs over Bokuto’s lap, and squishes closer.

“Mmm.” Bokuto purrs, “I like him.”

“He’s alright.”

Bokuto squeezes his waist, and Kuroo laughs, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. He’s adorable.”

* * *

 They walk through the school courtyard, loud and flirting like they always do. Kuroo watches; he watches Terushima tangle his fingers with Bokuto's, he watches Bokuto's shoulders shake as he laughs- he watches people stare, confused, even as Kuroo slips an arm around Terushima's waist. 

But Kuroo really could care less about what they think. 

Bokuto says something- Kuroo doesn't catch it, but it makes Terushima snort, stopping on the sidewalk, doubling over. 

There's a call; "Hey, it's Terushima!" 

The latter tenses, eyes turning serious, back straightening. He looks up- and Kuroo does too. There's some underclassmen approaching them; some people that Kuroo has never seen before. 

But Terushima seems to recognize them. He blinks, and turns serious on the drop of a dime. The aura shift is almost enough to give Kuroo whiplash. 

"Dude, it's been a long time." The guy grins, "How you been?" 

"Fine." Terushima fakes a smile. It's a bad look for him. 0/10. His real smile is much better. 

"Haha!" One of the girls points, "Jeez Teru, are you with these two?" 

Kuroo recoils _. The fuck does that mean?_

"Wow." A guy laughs, "I knew you were a slut...but..." 

"Hey." Terushima snaps, "Shut up." 

"I thought you didn't kiss and tell?" Another blonde girl giggles, "But you're walking around so obviously..." 

The guy snickers, "Don't tell me you're dating them! You? Teru? The party animal?" 

Kuroo swallows, and shares a look with Bokuto. He can see exactly where this is going; and Bokuto does too. His face darkens, and his body tenses- but they stay quiet. This is Terushima's business. 

"Look." Terushima steps away from Kuroo and Bokuto, "I stopped hanging out with you guys for a reason. Fuck off." 

"Woah." The guy lifts his arms, "Those are some pretty rough words there." 

"Is that any way to treat your friends?" 

"Teru." Bokuto finally calls, "Let's go." 

Terushima blinks, before his body sags, and he steps back, anger still radiating off him in waves.  Kuroo is silent, but he's glaring them into an oblivion, fists tense, just in case. 

"Wow...look at that." The blonde girl shakes her head, "Terushima tamed like a bitch. How crazy." 

Terushima sucks in a breath, but Kuroo steps in between them. 

"Look." Kuroo smiles sweetly, "I don't really have the patience to play around with some ignorant fucktards today. Goodbye." 

The two girls look up and glare, and the guy tenses his shoulders, but Kuroo can  _feel_ Bokuto shooting them a look from behind. Bokuto always has his back. Always. 

"Fine. Whatever." The other girl snaps, "Call us when you're  _fun_ again, Teru." 

They turn around and leave, finally. Terushima pulls his arm out of Bokuto's grip, and growls. 

"Damn." Bokuto frowns, "Glad to know that people still suck." 

Terushima gives a forced laugh, and stares at the ground. "Yeah. Sorry about that." 

"No big deal, my dude." Bokuto elbows him, "It's expected." 

"Yeah but-" 

"Hey." Kuroo pokes him in the ribs, "You don't think we can handle some mean words?" 

"N-no..." 

"And we know you sure as hell can handle it." Bokuto smiles. He wraps an arm around Terushima's neck and begins to walk towards the car again, "You know what you gotta' do?" 

"What?" 

"You gotta, sh-sh-shake it off, sh-shake it off~" 

"I hate you!" Terushima laughs, ripping away from his arm, "Go away!" 

Kuroo laughs, head tipping back, eyes screwing shut as Terushima slaps Bokuto's arm playfully. 

* * *

 

Terushima is rummaging through the drawers, looking for a clean shirt.

Kuroo sits on the bed, laptop at his side, and watches him over the screen. Bokuto is curled up on his lap, watching a video on his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“I have a job interview.” Terushima sighs, “I don’t own a dress shirt. I was hoping you guys did.”

“Oh.” Kuroo blinks, and grins, “Oh yeah, with Zumiez?”

“Yep.” Terushima pops his lips, and continues digging through the drawers.

“Hmm…I think I have a shirt that might fit you. Go in the closet, on the right.”

“Oh. Cool! Thanks Bro.” Terushima shoots him a thumbs up, and waddles into the closet. The light clicks on, and Kuroo hears  some distant rummaging. Whatever, Kuroo is more than happy to help.

Stupid him. He didn’t even remember what was in there.

There’s a loud gasp, and Kuroo’s eyes widen. Bokuto pulls out his earbud at the shout:

“ _Kuroo!”_

“Fuck.” Kuroo blinks.

Bokuto looks up, “What?” 

Terushima comes out of the closet, a big box in hand. His face looks like a kid in a fuckin’ candy store. Kuroo places his hand over his mouth, and closes his eyes. Yep. This is it.

“No way.” Terushima drops the box on the bed. “No fucking way.”

Bokuto, knowingly, laughs, “Ohh yeah, that was in there, huh.”

Terushima rips open the lid, and dumps out the box at Kuroo’s feet. Dildos, vibrators, chokers, ball gags, butt plugs, handcuffs, leather straps; it all comes tumbling out.

Kuroo presses his face into his hands, and Bokuto continues to laugh.

“And here I was, thinking you two were vanilla.” Terushima’s grin is earsplitting. He holds up a black dildo, and turns it, “Amazing.”

“Us?” Bokuto laughs, “Vanilla?”

“You’re right.” Terushima clicks his tongue, “I should’ve known.”

Kuroo lowers his hands, and watches Terushima sort through it all.

“Mm, how come you guys didn’t tell me about this?” Terushima picks up a few cock rings, and twirls them around his fingers.

“Well it’s not like we have the energy to do that all the time.” Kuroo rolls his eyes.

But Bokuto becomes sly next to him. He grins, “Oh, are you interested, Terushima?”

The younger looks up through his eyelashes with a grin, and Kuroo feels his entire body heat up.

Self-control. Right. That’s a thing.

Kuroo sucks in a breath, and scoops the various toys back into a pile, “Alright, alright. You’ve got that job interview.”

“Later though, right?”

 _Fuck._ Kuroo swallows, and he can feel Bokuto practically vibrating at his side.

“Yeah.” Kuroo looks up, as sultry as he can. “Later.”

Terushima gives him a look just as mischievous, and surely, Kuroo has met his match.

* * *

 

Its been two months since school started. Everything’s going good.

Actually, everything’s going _great._ Sometimes Kuroo and Terushima argue over picking up dirty socks, and sometimes Bokuto and Terushima wrestle into the wall, leaving a mark that wasn’t there before- but otherwise, it’s fun.

There’s no other word to describe it.

Terushima has been good; he seems to be staying out of trouble. Kuroo hasn’t talked to him about smoking, or fighting- but Terushima seems to be avoiding both, out of respect.

And in turn, Kuroo helps him study. Bokuto carries him on his back when at the grocery store. Kuroo holds his hand at school. Bokuto cooks dinner with him. It’s fun- not always easy, but fun. 

So that’s why it’s such a shock. That’s why it _hurts._

Tanaka comes knocking at the door, almost frantically, a few Johzenji members at his side. Kuroo opens the door, an eyebrow raised.

“Hello?”

“You’re not answering your phone.” Tanaka pants.

“Oh.” Kuroo blinks, “Sorry, I was taking a nap with Bokuto-“

“Terushima’s been arrested.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LINGO COUNT: 
> 
> dude: 11
> 
> bro: 2 (wtf) 
> 
> man: 1 (wtffff???) 
> 
> i'm looking back at this and i'm like how did this happen? and then i looked it up and: 
> 
> 23 fucks. 
> 
> yep. there was definitely a smut scene


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for sticking with me this long :))

There’s a voice, deep, and gravelly, that echoes off the walls.

“You’ve been released.”

There’s the click of metal, and the bars slide away.

Kuroo stands, fist clenched, shoulders tensed, next to Bokuto. He can feel Bokuto holding his breath, incredibly nervous. It’s fine. Kuroo is too.

His heart is in his throat as he watches the policemen reach in, and drag Terushima out. The cop leans forwards, keys jingling, and works at Terushima’s handcuffs.

Kuroo lets outs out a hard breath. Terushima looks fine; there’s bruises visible, and his face is fallen and pale, but he's in one piece.

Kuroo wills his breath steady.

Terushima looks up, wild, wolf-like eyes open in surprise.

He chokes out- his voice sounds gruff, and the bruises around his neck make sense- “You...you paid my bail?”

Kuroo says one word; he doesn’t trust himself to say more.

“Yeah.”

It’s silent after that. Bokuto doesn’t say a thing, hands twisted in his pockets, staring at the floor.

Terushima rubs his wrists, the cuffs free, and slumps forwards- Kuroo turns on his heel, and walks away.

Bokuto stares and stares, before finally turning, and following behind.

Terushima tries to speak, but Kuroo lifts a hand, unlooking, and says, “Later.”

He’s too upset to talk now.

* * *

 

_Kuroo surges forwards, and grabs Tanaka by the front of his shirt. He pulls him upwards, and slams him against the door._

_He growls, “You have three seconds to explain.”_

_Tanaka chokes, feet dangling off the ground. The Johzenji boys are stunned silent, and Bokuto yells, “Kuroo! What’s going on-“_

_“He-“ Tanaka wiggles, “He got in a fight! Bad one! Someone called the cops-“ He gasps out, eyes wide._

_Kuroo drops him, lightly shaking. He spits, dark, “Don’t tell anyone about this.”_

_“D-deal, dude.” Tanaka gasps, hands reaching for his own throat._

_“Come on, Bo.” Kuroo turns to find his keys, “Let’s go.”_

* * *

 

The car ride is sickeningly silent- as is the descent into the apartment. The tension is horribly strong. Bokuto isn’t saying anything to lighten the mood. Terushima isn’t laughing. Kuroo isn’t smiling.

Kuroo locks the door behind them, and the tension snaps, like a needle in a balloon.

“You didn’t have to bail me out.” Terushima spills.

“Oh?” Kuroo turns, disgusting anger and fear and disappointment bubbling in his chest, and out his throat. “And who else was gonna do it?”

That was a low blow. Kuroo knows it, Bokuto knows it, and Terushima especially knows it.

Hurt flashes across Terushima’s face, before he steps forwards, bloodied fists and raw wrists tense, “I didn’t fuckin’ ask you to do _shit._ ”

“Yeah. No fuckin’ duh.” Kuroo growls, and opens his mouth to say more, but Bokuto knows him. He knows his temper, and he can read him like a damn book.

“Kuroo, stop.” Bokuto shakily reaches for Kuroo’s wrist, “Let’s talk about this later.”

“No, we’re talking about this now.” Kuroo yanks out of his grip, and turns, snarling, “Are you fucking kidding me-“

“Shut up.” Terushima spits, “ _Shut up,_ you’re not my fuckin’ dad, I don’t want the whole _I’m so disappointed in you_ speech.”

“Yeah, well tough shit. I’m disappointed in you.” Kuroo hisses, and pushes his palms against Terushima’s chest, forcing him back towards the living room, “I thought we were over this-“ 

“Kuroo-“

Terushima takes a step back, eyes dark and dangerous. His body is prepared to fight, despite his scrapes and bruises. “I’m a goddamn adult. Spare me the fuckin’ monologue.”

“Oh, really? You’re an adult?” Kuroo snarls, “Well how about you start acting like one. You can’t throw punches around and expect no consequences. “

“I didn’t start it!”

“I don’t care!” Kuroo yells back. He hates yelling. He hates being angry, but he’s shaking, and he can’t control it now. “I don’t care who started it, who said what, or who punched you first. You have to _think_ Terushima. This’ll be on your record, dude. You’re trying to get a job. You’re in school.”

Bokuto stands there, mouth opening and closing, owl eyes wide, darting between them both. He keeps trying to speak, but fails.

“You don’t think I get that?” Terushima snaps, “I don’t give a shit. I’m not gonna’ let some assholes walk all over me.”

“You’re so selfish.” Kuroo spits, “You think that your actions only affect you.” Kuroo throws his arms outwards in a gesture, “What are we, then? Huh?”

Terushima sucks in a breath, taking a step forwards, “I already _said_ I didn’t ask you guys to bail me out. What do you want from me?”

“ _I want-_ “

“ _Enough!_ ” Bokuto says, dark, and stern, and it cuts through the air like a knife. “Enough.”

You can hear a pin drop. There’s a distant humming of a fan in their bedroom; a gentle clatter of the branches that brush against the windows; a low, vibrating sound that oozes from the fridge.

“But-“

“No.” Bokuto spits, and points to the loveseat, “Sit down. Now.”

“I’m not-“

“ _Both of you._ ” Bokuto growls. “Now.”

Kuroo sucks in a shallow breath, and doesn’t move, still stubborn as hell. Terushima doesn’t either, until Bokuto snaps at the love seat, wordlessly.  

Kuroo moves slowly, hesitantly taking a seat on the couch. Terushima stomps to the loveseat, and crosses his arms. They’re covered in bruises, and the pit in Kuroo’s stomach worsens.

“Kuroo isn’t going about this in the right way.” Bokuto says more calmly, with a glare, and Kuroo looks away. “We want you to understand why we’re upset.”

“Because I’m such a _disappointment,_ right?” Terushima hisses.

“No. Because you don’t get it.”

“W-what-“

“We were so scared, dude.” Bokuto says, and sits next to Kuroo on the couch. “We were so horrified. Tanaka showed up at our door and we had no idea what happened." 

Terushima looks away, voice softening, “You…you guys know I can handle myself.”

“So?” Bokuto states, “We’re your boyfriends, dude. It’s our _job_ to worry about you. It’s our _job_ to bail you out, it’s our job to fucking _care about you._ ”

That stuns Terushima, almost wordless. He stares and stares, before swallowing, and looking away. “So you’re breaking up with me, right? That’s what this is?”

Silence.

“You’re an idiot.” Kuroo butts in, “You’re a real fucking idiot.”

Terushima opens his mouth to yell, but Kuroo continues-

“A real home grown, 100% organic, American made _id_ _iot._ ”

Bokuto rolls his eyes, and Terushima spits, “I _get it-_ “

“No. You don’t, obviously.” Kuroo sighs, “ If I didn’t give two shits about you, I would’ve left you in that cell for 90 days.”

Terushima swallows. Kuroo chokes up.

Damn, he hates crying.

He wills the tears away, and lets Bokuto speak for him.

“We just…want you to be more conscious about your decision making. You really scared the shit out of us.” Bokuto tucks his hair behind his ear, almost nervously. His usual spikes are long gone, the gel worn out from a long night of worrying and waiting and paperwork.

Terushima looks up, and says the magic words, tension snapping. “I’m sorry.”

Kuroo lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Terushima repeats, black and blue hands pressing against the bruises on his face, “I’m sorry.”

That disgusting pit in Kuroo’s stomach twists, and turns, before dissipating completely. He can finally breathe again; he can finally see clearly, past all the rage and emotion. He sees Terushima, crying in the loveseat, shaking hands, black and blue.

Kuroo is suddenly disgusted at himself- at all the mean things he said. Thank god for Bokuto; the spark to his flame, the calm to his storm, the owner to his reins, the calm voice in his head.

This is all so ironic- usually it’s Kuroo who sees the big picture. It’s usually Kuroo who watches. Kuroo who observes, and Kuroo who thinks out a decent response. Kuroo is supposed to be the voice of reason.

How funny.

Terushima is still crying, silently, so Kuroo chokes out, “I’m sorry, Teru.”

“No.” Terushima wipes his eyes, “Don’t apologize.”

“Come here.”

He waits, hesitant, sniffling in the chair, all alone. Bokuto prompts him again, and he stands up shakily from the chair and squishes in between them both. Kuroo tugs him close, hands reaching up to smooth over tears and bruises.

“I didn’t want to fight them. “ Terushima swallows, “I didn’t want to. I just- I  saw _red_.”

“What happened?” Bokuto shifts closer.

“I dunno, I…I hit my head pretty hard.” Terushima blinks, “On the concrete. But I remember these old friends of mine making fun of you guys. Cause uh, they-“ He sniffs, “They heard we were dating and…they called you guys some not-cool names.”

Oh.

Kuroo swallows the lump in his throat, “You got in a fight because of that?”

“N-no.” Terushima rubs at his eyes, “I told them to fuck off, and I planned on walking away...but…they threatened to come after you guys. They said they were gonna’ hurt you and I…I don’t remember anything else.”

“Fuck.” Bokuto presses his face into his hands, and sighs.

Kuroo parrots, “Fuck.”

“It’s not like I-“ Terushima sniffs, “- didn’t think you guys could h-handle it I just…I lost it...at the idea of them hurting you.”

Kuroo closes his eyes, and tugs Terushima into his lap. The younger is compliant, sliding over his thighs, sideways.

“You idiot.” Kuroo whispers, smiling nevertheless. “You idiot.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Next time, come tell us.” Bokuto tangles their hands together. “We’ll work it out together.”

“Yeah.” Kuroo agrees. “Promise us.”

“Okay.” Terushima sniffs, and wipes his eyes one last time, “I promise.”

* * *

 

Tanaka and the Johzenji boys kept their promise. Nobody needed to know about the fight.

Terushima didn’t get kicked out of school- he didn’t get the retail job, but that’s fine. Terushima is determined to find something even better.

The fight was tough; it was the first time they’d ever screamed and yelled- but just like Terushima’s bruises, the tension eventually fades.

They come back stronger than before- closer than before, _better_ than before, like a phoenix from the ashes.

Kuroo is proud. Kuroo is really, _really_ proud. He watches Terushima swallow his pride- he watches him refuse fights and cigarettes and bad parties with bad crowds.

He slips. He falls. Sometimes he throws a punch. Sometimes he gets rowdy.

But he’s _trying-_ and that means a lot.

“There’s a Shiratorizawa party tonight.”

“Yeah.” Terushima says, and swirls his straw in his milkshake.

“You gonna’ go?” Kuroo asks.

“Nah.” He shrugs. “I was just gonna’ stay in.”

“Dude!” Bokuto wiggles, “We should go do something.”

Terushima perks up, “Really? Do you want to?”

“I already finished my essay.” Kuroo bites into his burger, and lightly kicks Terushima underneath the booth, “I’m down.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Hm.” Kuroo takes a moment. Terushima’s life is so full of interesting experiences; parties, drinking games- what would even interest him? He thinks a moment more, before he shrugs, “I have an idea.”

* * *

 

This is pretty dumb. It’s late, and it’s almost spring- of course, the water is going to be freezing.

Not to mention that they’re _supposed_ to be avoiding trouble now. They’re supposed to be good, all _three of them._

Oh well.

Bokuto effortlessly jumps the fence, then Terushima, and Kuroo. The pool is lightly glowing, the water smooth, and unmoving. The sky is dark, and the neighborhood is quiet. It’s a community pool- hopefully nobody calls them in.

Bokuto giggles as he drops his backpack full of towels, before shucking off his shirt, and throwing it on the deck. “Dude, this is gonna’ be so cold.”

“You first.” Terushima grins.

“Oh no way, dude, you first.”

“How about Kuroo? It was his idea.”

Kuroo grabs the back of his shirt, and pulls it over his head, throwing it down next to Bokuto’s. The latter gives a wolf whistle, and Kuroo laughs. He dips his foot in the pool, and of course, it’s freezing. He looks up, and grins, “Same time?”

“Okay!” Bokuto pipes, and steps up to him. Terushima sighs, dramatically, and steps up too.

Bokuto grabs Kuroo’s hand, and counts, “One…two…”

They crouch down, and prepare to jump.

“Three!”

They jump in, cold water splashing around them. It’s fucking _freezing,_ but it's incredibly refreshing, somehow. Any old, gross emotions, or resentments- they dissipate into the cold water. It seeps into Kuroo’s scalp, past his bedhead, and into his pores. Kuroo gasps, and kicks to the surface, letting go of Bokuto’s hand. He sucks in air, laughing, and shivering.

“Holy shit! That’s cold.”

“Hey!” Bokuto laughs, and points, “Teru, you ass.”

Terushima laughs, crouched, still dry at the edge of the pool.

“Losers!”

“Damn you.” Kuroo shivers, laughing, “Get in here.”

“No way.” Terushima laughs, “It’s freezing. My balls’ll fuckin’ recede up into my chest.”

Kuroo and Bokuto laugh, kicking to stay afloat. Kuroo reaches over and slaps Bokuto’ on the back, “Dude, go get him.”

“No…” Terushima stands up. Bokuto grins.

“Yes!”

“No, no-“ Terushima laughs, but Bokuto is fast. He uses his upper body strength to pull himself up off the side of the pool. He wiggles to his feet, and scrambles after Terushima. The latter nearly slips, and Bokuto uses the opportunity to grab him in his arms.

“Nice job!” Kuroo praises, laughing, swimming to stay warm.

“No! Let go!” Terushima laughs, “ _Nooo!_ ”

Bokuto picks him up, wet chest pressing against his shirt. He holds him bridal style, and chucks him over the edge with a laugh.

There’s something amazing about this- something about the cold water, and the laughter, and the goosebumps. There’s something gentle about the dark sky, and the gentle glow of the pool lights. There’s something wonderful about being here, with people he loves.

Love.

 _Yeah,_  Kuroo thinks, and watches his partners laugh,  _sounds about right._

Terushima gasps, flailing around in the water. He reaches the surface, and splashes Bokuto with a laugh, “Jerk!”

Bokuto grins, and jumps into the pool, soaking Terushima and Kuroo in the process. Kuroo gasps for air, laughing, and swimming.

“Damn.” Terushima splashes him more, “It’s so cold! This was a horrible idea.”

“It feels kinda good.” Bokuto kicks around arms wiggling beneath the water.

“You’re not human.”

“We already knew that.” Kuroo rolls his eyes, and Terushima snickers. He kicks his legs, and peels off his wet shirt with one hand, shucking it onto dry land.

“Dammit,” Terushima laughs, “I didn’t bring another shirt.”

“Oh nooo,” Bokuto fake gasps, “We’ll just have to share body heat for warmth.”

Terushima breathes out a laugh through his nose, and splashes him with water once more.

Later, they waddle back to the car in towels, laughing, and giggling. Somehow, miraculously, they’re able to all fit in the shower that night, warm water spilling out of the showerhead.

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you.” Akaashi blinks, “You guys brought me here _for this?_ ”

“Dude.” Bokuto clings to his shoulder, “Kuroo is at work, and Teru and I sure as hell aren’t gonna’ do it.”

“You guys would be so lost without Kuroo.” Akaashi sighs, and takes off his right shoe.

“That’s very true.” Terushima agrees, perched safely on the barstool in the kitchen.

“Where is it?

“In _there-_ “ Bokuto points to the bathroom, horrified.

Akaashi rolls his eyes, and grips his shoe. He opens the door, and immediately spots the spider sitting pretty on the bathroom counter. He snorts, “Guys, this is just a daddy long legs.”

“More like a daddy _get the fuck out of my house._ ” Bokuto sniffs, trying to look over Akaashi’s shoulder, while not getting too close.

“He’s harmless.” Akaashi states, and reaches his shoe forwards, trying to coax the spider on it.

“Wait,” Terushima perks up, “You’re not gonna’ kill it?”

“No?” Akaashi raises an eyebrow, “I’m going to set it free.”

“No!” Bokuto backs away, “Kill it!”

“You two are babies.” Akaashi laughs this time, lifting the spider safely off the counter. He turns around, and Bokuto squeaks, booking it back towards Terushima.

“Excuse you.” Terushima says, clinging to Bokuto like Rose and Jack atop the sinking titanic, “Everybody has a weakness.”

“Ours just happens to be anything with more than four legs.”

Akaashi breaths out a laugh, and reaches to unlock the front door. Surprisingly, the door swings open.

Kuroo stands, blinking, hand on the door handle. He looks down at Akaashi. He’s holding his shoe, that little spider enjoying the ride of its life.

Kuroo stares, eyes slowly drifting from the spider, to Terushima and Bokuto, still clinging to each other, like kittens.

Kuroo lasts two more seconds, before he cracks, doubling over, crying laughing.

“Are you- are you-“ Kuroo laughs, “Did they call you to-“

“Yep.” Akaashi sighs, and steps past him. He dumps the spider to the ground, and it scurries away.

Kuroo is _crying,_ hands pressed to his face, “Holy shit.”

“Don’t laugh!”

“It’s not funny! I almost stepped on it and I cried.”

That just makes Kuroo laugh harder. He almost drops his keys- he gives another pig snort, and this time Akaashi cracks a smile.

“Th-thank you, Akaashi,” Kuroo wipes away a tear, “For taking care of these morons.”

“Mm. Seems it’s all I’m good for anymore.”

Kuroo sucks in a breath to steady his voice, and turns to pat Akaashi on the back, “Bro, someone’s gotta’ do it.”

He ignores the silly glares from Terushima and Bokuto, and begins laughing all over again.

* * *

Kuroo holds a soda, rather than a beer, and is totally content. 

This party is more lowkey- more casual. There's less screaming, and more laughing. This is usually the way Nekoma rolls; a movie, a few cool people, and that's it. Tanaka and Yamamoto are huddled in the corner, gossiping like valley girls. 

Kuroo looks down when he hears a voice. 

"Aye." 

"Hey man." Kuroo grins, "How you been?" 

"Should be asking you that." Kenma crosses his arms, and leans up against the doorway, "You haven't visited." 

"Sorry. It's been a little crazy." 

"I can see that." Kenma gestures to Bokuto, who's laughing with Daichi. "Where's number three?" 

"Taking a nap." Kuroo laughs, "He stayed up all night studying." 

Kenma's eyebrows shoot up into pudding hair, and Kuroo laughs. 

"I know, I was surprised." 

"Hm." Kenma pushes up off the doorframe, "You're a good influence." 

Kuroo swallows, and blinks, rapidly. It takes him a moment to compose himself before he grins, and places a hand over his heart, "Aww...Kenma...." 

"Don't get emotional." Kenma points, and begins to walk away, "Or I'll never compliment you again." 

"Love you too!" Kuroo laughs. 

* * *

 

It’s silent in the apartment, besides the low playing of the T.V.

Kuroo sits on the couch, his phone in one hand, Terushima at his side.

“Teru, look,” Kuroo turns his phone- Terushima looks away from the T.V., “Peaches visited me.”

“Nice!” Terushima leans in, “Take a picture.”

“Oh, definitely.” Kuroo takes his phone back, “That one is going in my cat album.”

Terushima smiles, and looks back to the T.V.

It’s quiet again. Terushima is watching some Austin Powers movie, only half paying attention. It’s a lazy Saturday evening; Kuroo can hear Bokuto shuffling around in their bedroom, probably working on homework.

Kuroo scrolls through Neko Atsume, totally enveloped in which toy to buy next- he doesn’t even notice the T.V. turn off. He does notice, however, when Terushima gently plucks his phone from his hand, and sets it on the couch. Kuroo raises an eyebrow, and watches Terushima shift to straddle his lap.

“Hey.” Kuroo teases, “I was in the middle of making a very important financial investment.”

Terushima laughs, loud, head tipping back, shoulders shaking. Kuroo laughs too, hands sliding up and down the thighs on either side of him.

“Mm.” Terushima hums, and wiggles closer. He throws his arms around Kuroo’s neck, and presses his nose into Kuroo’s hair, “Sorry.”

“I forgive you.” Kuroo teases.

“Good.” Terushima leans down to kiss Kuroo’s temple, and it makes Kuroo's chest warm. “Because I was wondering…”

“Hm?”

Terushima leans back to look Kuroo in the eye, and purr, “Can we play, tonight?”

It’s almost embarrassing how quickly Kuroo inhales. He doesn’t like it when people catch him off guard- but he’s 100% sure he looks like a fish, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. He puts himself back together quick, and grins. He reaches around Terushima's hips to lightly squeeze his ass, and he purrs, "Oh? Teru want's to play?~" 

"Mmm." Terushima squeezes his arms around Kuroo's neck, and tips his head back when lips reach forwards. 

"Well, there's only one rule." Kuroo speaks against Terushima's throat, his voice dipping low- low enough, that Terushima shivers. 

"Nn, what's that?" 

"You gotta' know the safeword." Kuroo kisses the spot under his jaw. He squeezes Terushima's ass, and is rewarded with hips grinding against his own. 

Terushima swallows, and lets out a breath, "Oh yeah? What is it?" 

Kuroo leans forwards some more, lips brushing against the piercings of his left ear. He licks past his helix piercings, and presses a final kiss by his plugs.

He breathes out, low, and sexy; 

"Doodoo butt." 

Silence. 

Terushima's body tenses, before he pulls back- his face is so full of disbelief and annoyance that Kuroo breaks out in laughter. 

"That's it." Terushima says, dismounting Kuroo's thighs, "I'm breaking up with you, and I'm taking Bokuto, and I'm moving to Canada-" 

Kuroo snorts out a laugh, and sucks in a breath to regain himself. He reaches out to grip Terushima's wrist, and tugs back. 

"Oh, no, no." Kuroo grins, sly, and evil. He pulls Terushima back towards him, and gets close. He brushes his nose past Terushima's, and says, "You said you wanted to play. Let's play." 

 

* * *

 

“ _Fuck._ ” Terushima drools against the pillows, body flushed and hard. His hands are tied up in a very pretty knot, done by none other than Bokuto himself.

Kuroo purrs against Terushima’s lower back, fingers slick, working flawlessly inside Terushima. He's so beautiful like this- warm and accepting around Kuroo's fingers.

“Wow, so loose already.” Kuroo praises, “Someone is _practiced._ ”

Terushima groans, hands pulling, dick rubbing into the sheets. The cock ring is evil- it keeps Terushima gasping, and begging.

“Hmmm…” Bokuto taps his chin, looking back and forth between two dildos, “Should we use the pink one? Or the black one?”

“Neither.” Kuroo purrs, “I’m gonna fuck him.”

“God.” Bokuto gasps, kicking the dildos off the bed, almost comically, “I wanna' see that.” 

Terushima groans into the sheets, saliva pooling where his jaw is slack. Kuroo curls his fingers up, down, and then backwards, before pulling out, and repeating all over again. He doesn’t really need to stretch him much more- he’s doing it more for Terushima’s reactions. They’re pure gold.

“Fuck, please.” Terushima groans, “Fuck.”

“Hm?” Kuroo nips at his back; it’s smooth, and free from blemishes. “Whatchu’ want, baby?”

“Bokuto.” Terushima groans out, “I want Bokuto to fuck my mouth.”

Well. File that under the list of things Terushima can say to make Kuroo hard.

“Damn.” Bokuto breathes out. He looks to the tallest, “Kuroo?”

“Do it.” Kuroo agrees, his voice a little too high, “Cut him free.”

Bokuto nods, sheepishly, and reaches to untie the gorgeous knot around Terushima’s wrists. When he takes it off, the skin is red and irritated, but the imprints left from the rope are oddly pretty.

“Up.” Bokuto prods, and Terushima finds the strength to prop himself up on his hands. Bokuto wiggles in on his ass, his crotch now beneath Terushima’s head.

Kuroo chooses that moment to twist his fingers, and Terushima gurgles out pure garbage, forehead lolling forwards to rest against Bokuto’s naked navel.

“Good?”

“I’m good.” Terushima pants, and lies down on his forarms, bringing his cheek right down against Bokuto’s cock, which is surprisingly hard, despite being untouched, yet.

Kuroo is impressed; Terushima has a surprising amount of stamina. They've been teasing him for a long time now, yet he takes Kuroo’s fingers, and somehow manages to tease Bokuto, licking up and down his cock smoothly. Bokuto swallows, back against the headboard, strong thighs spread. Terushima continues to tease, pressing soft, practiced kisses wherever he can reach. He takes Bokuto in his mouth by just an inch, just to rub his tongue ring across the head. Bokuto's reaction is fantastic.

“Mmm.” Kuroo slows his fingers to let Terushima concentrate. “Bo, I believe his words were, _‘fuck my mouth.’_ How ‘bout you get on that?”

Bokuto grins, wicked, and agrees. He gives Terushima one last look, just to make sure he's okay with this, before he slams his hips upwards;  Terushima sucks in a hard breath, and focuses on not choking. Kuroo, overall, is impressed, yet again. It’s not like Bokuto is _small._ Literally _nothing_ about Bokuto is small. It's fucking awesome, Kuroo is blessed as hell.

Kuroo leans back on his knees, fingers slickly slipping out of Terushima- and hotdamn its so lewd. Kuroo has to close his eyes for a moment to focus on _not_ moaning like a sixteen-year-old. He opens his eyes again and leans around to watch Terushima work; he watches Terushima suck and lick and accept every thrust and hair pull. He’s very practiced- he almost has a refinement about him, oddly enough.

Honestly, it’s sexy as fuck.

Kuroo takes advantage of the situation; there’s a very nice ass in front of him, so curves his fingers around bare skin. He bites into his left cheek, and grins at the little gurgled noise he hears.

He slides off Bokuto with a slick pop, and gasps out, “Did you just bite my ass?”

“Are you complaining?” Kuroo teases, and reaches around to lightly slide his hand down Terushima’s navel. He hasn’t even touched his dick yet- but he _feels_ Terushima shiver in anticipation. Kuroo grins, “I do believe that you’re in _no_ position to complain, my dear.”

Terushima huffs out an angry breath through his nose, and turns back to Bokuto, taking him back in his mouth once more.

Kuroo slides his hand down past hairless skin, before moving back to look at the bite mark on Terushima’s ass. It’s almost humorous- the bruise red, and slick- so Kuroo bites him again.

This time, Terushima groans, soft body bending and twisting. His back arches into a smooth curve, pulling tight like a bowstring; Kuroo reaches his hand up to trail his index finger down the ridges of his spine.

He can hear Bokuto huffing, and groaning. It’s such a lovely sound- Kuroo recognizes every gasp, every melody. It’s a huge turn on, but Kuroo ignores his own dick for the greater good.

Kuroo can see Terushima trying to grind against the sheets. It’s incredibly satisfying to see him like this; the proud Terushima begging, broken down, so desperate and flushed and needy.

He grins, “Hmm, none of that.” Kuroo wraps his hands around Terushima’s hips, and pulls him back up to his knees. With the friction gone, Terushima groans around Bokuto’s cock, eyes squeezing shut in frustration.

Bokuto pants out, “Kuroo, fuck him.”

Well, that throws Kuroo off guard.

“N-now?”

“Yeah.” Bokuto huffs, and smooths his nails through Terushima’s hair, “I wanna’ watch.”

"You..." Kuroo looks down at Terushima, the coy incubus, working at Bokuto's cock like a goddamn lolipop. "You think he'll be okay?"

"Oh yeah," Bokuto pants, and thumbs past the piercings on Terushima's ears, "He'll be good." 

“Fuck.” Kuroo swallows, “Fuck, yeah, okay.”

Terushima seems _more_ than happy about this, drool slipping out of his mouth, and around Bokuto.

Kuroo thumbs at the condom wrapper, before growing impatient and ripping it open with his teeth. Terushima is already slick, but Kuroo scrambles for the lube anyways.

“Shit,” Bokuto curses, watching Terushima take him eagerly. He thrusts his hips upwards once more, and Terushima deepthroats him. Fucking hell.

So, of course, Kuroo takes advantage of the moment and snaps his hips forwards, sliding halfway in.

Kuroo bites back a groan, and swallows hard- _shit_ , Terushima feels _perfect_.

Speaking of, Terushima’s face is nothing shy of incredible. He has to pull up for air, gasping, and groaning.

“I got you.” Bokuto presses his thumbs into Terushima’s temples. “I got you.”

“Fuck, fuck.” Terushima mouths against Bokuto’s bellybutton, “God, I’m so hard move, _move move-_ “

“Hold on.” Kuroo nearly laughs. He slides his hands across smooth skin, down and into his hips. They’re quite curvy, but slender, all the same. Kuroo presses his thumbs into his hipbones, before sliding into him the rest of the way.

Terushima’s mouth is a garbage disposal, grumbling out nonsense noises, and half moans. Kuroo hasn’t moved yet, so he gasps out, “ _Kuroo-_ “

“Nope.” He purrs, exorcising self-control, “You got a job to do.”

Terushima’s arms are shaking, just barely, but he isn’t weak in the slightest. He rights himself, sucks in a deep breath, and takes Bokuto back down again.

The elder groans, head thumping back against the headboard.

" _Hh-Teru-_ "

Kuroo makes eye contact with Bokuto, and slides backwards to fuck back into Terushima.

The three of them make _filthy_ noises. Kuroo really hopes that their neighbors aren’t home.

Kuroo sets a steady pace- not overly fast, but not too slow. His hands are sponges, soaking in all the warm skin he can get his hands on. Terushima bobs his head with vigor, now completely determined. He’s seriously the MVP right now- he uses every thrust from Kuroo to build a rhythm around Bokuto. He wiggles his hips, seeking some kind of friction that doesn’t exist.

 Bokuto groans, low. Kuroo watches his eyes flicker between Terushima, and Kuroo, before rolling back in his head, and shivering.

Bokuto is so fucking pretty, so Kuroo groans out, “Fuck yeah, Bo.”

“Hah-“ Bokuto gasps out, body tensing. He's not loud, but he's very beautiful, wild hair smooshing against the headboard,   his naked, strong chest sucking in air as he comes.

Terushima breathes out through his nose, and swallows, smug eyes darting up through his eyelashes.

“Damn.” Bokuto pants, thighs shaking, “Fucking, dammit.”

“Mmm.” Terushima purrs, tongue piercing sliding up Bokuto’s cock once more, before sliding off completely.

“What do you say?” Kuroo says, teasingly.

“Thank you.” Terushima flirts, and Bokuto about combusts on the spot.

Well, now that that’s over with.

Kuroo pushes his hips forwards, hard, and grins when Terushima about chokes. He angles upwards- a spot he’d been purposely avoiding up until now, and Terushima _sobs._

“Kuroo, _Kuroo, Kuroo, Kuroo-_ “ Terushima cries out, body falling limp. Bokuto takes in a final breath, his heartbeat now normal once more- so he uses his strength to support Terushima beneath him.

“Ohh, that’s right?” Kuroo grins, hands gripping his hips, thighs meeting thighs, “You can’t come like this~." The cockring is still in place- Terushima is good, and keeps his hands fisted in the sheets.

“Fucking, please.” Terushima chokes, “I seriously, I can’t-“

Kuroo looks up through sweat soaked hair, and drinks in Bokuto. His hair is fluffy, and has fallen around his ears. His face is flushed, barley, but there’s that coy smile on his face, and Kuroo reads his mind immediately.

“Hmm, I think you can…” Kuroo grinds upwards, and Terushima cries out, loud, and shameless.

Kuroo isn’t gonna’ last much longer- not like this, anyways. It’s way too much, too fast.

So this time, he’s forgiving. He reaches around, and thumbs across the stud at the front of Terushima’s cock.

He’s pleasantly surprised to feel Terushima tremble, and shake, coming literally on the spot.

“Woah!” Bokuto about laughs, but holds Terushima strong as Kuroo fucks him through it all.

“Fuhhhck-“ Terushima moans, eyes squeezing shut. “Ghh-“ He’s limp in Bokuto’s hands, spilling right into the sheets.

Kuroo pauses his hips to let him breathe. Terushima’s chest is rising, and falling, inhaling deep breaths.

“Holy.” Terushima pants, “Fuck.”

Bokuto giggles a little, and Kuroo does too.

“Good?”

“Good.” Terushima assures, “Damn, I’m gonna feel that one tomorrow.”

Kuroo laughs, and rubs circles into his hips. He’s still really fucking hard, but he doesn’t want to overstimulate him. Kuroo sure as hell knows what that feels like, and he’s not really _that_ evil.

“Alright.” Terushima slides down, and pants into Bokuto’s thigh, “I’m good. Keep going.”

“Yo, you sure?”

“Yeah, man.” Terushima wiggles, “Go, go.”

Kuroo waits a moment, before pulling back, and sliding back in. Bokuto takes advantage of the shift to slide out from underneath Terushima- the younger now free to press his face into the sheets.

Terushima lets out a soft sound as Kuroo fucks him, now much slower than before.

It doesn’t take much; Bokuto slithers around like a snake to kiss Kuroo and squeeze his ass, and the taller shivers, nails digging into Terushima’s back.

* * *

 

“Good?”

“Good.” Terushima assures, now clean, and snuggly. “That was rad.”

“Rad.” Kuroo repeats, “Nice word choice.”

Terushima laughs, and twists around to lie on Kuroo’s chest. “Hmm. We could’ve done more.”

“Pfff.” Bokuto snorts, “Yeah, right. We have to build up to more.”

“Yeah, fuck dude. I barely lasted as it was.” Kuroo huffs.

Terushima rolls his tongue around in his mouth, playing with his tongue ring. He hums, “Yeah…true.”

“You’re like, a filth machine.” Bokuto pokes Terushima in the ribs, “Your mouth is so fucking dirty.”

“You know it.” Terushima winks, and the other two laugh.

Terushima rolls off Kuroo’s chest, and into his side. Bokuto takes advantage of that, and presses into Kuroo’s free arm.

“Next time...” Bokuto mumbles into Kuroo's shoulder, “...It’s your turn.”

Kuroo wills his breathing to be steady, and ignores Terushima’s excited little noise.

“W-whatever.” Kuroo gently prods his foot against Bokuto’s, and feels a thigh wiggle between his own, in return.

* * *

It's warm, and bright here. 

Soon, it'll be summer. Soon, Bokuto and Kuroo will be seniors. 

Soon, soon, soon. 

Soon the sun will be hotter, and brighter- but for now, it's perfect. 

Kuroo looks around him; Terushima is talking- probably about finals- waving his hands around excitedly. Bokuto nods, and laughs every so often, occasionally taking a bite of his sandwich as he does. 

Kuroo has completely zoned out. He's resting, his back against the tree in the school courtyard, a leg drawn up to his chest. He watches his lovers talk, and laugh, and Kuroo loses himself in it all. 

Soon. 

That's a strange word. It's a promise- almost a telling of the future.  _Soon._

Kuroo used to think of the future as something gross. The idea of giving it all up; the idea of becoming an adult, with responsibilities, and a nine to five job. It sounded gross. It sounded scary. 

But now, Kuroo doesn't fear the future. Instead he's  _excited._

One day, he'll bring Bokuto and Terushima home to his mom, holding both their hands in his. One day, they might own a house. Maybe a dog, or  cat. One day, they might fight and break up. Another day, they might cry, and come back to each other. 

It's all so overwhelming, but wonderful all the same. The idea of  _any_ future with them ; the promise, the idea. The concept of soon. 

That's enough to make Kuroo happy. 

"Are you listening?" Terushima laughs, nudging Kuroo with the blunt end of his fork. 

"No." Kuroo answers honestly, and the other two laugh. 

"I  _said_ that we should go to the gym today." 

"Oh." Kuroo nods, "Yeah, I'm down." 

"Cool." Terushima says, but doesn't look away. Bokuto begins talking about something- Kuroo doesn't hear. He just notices Terushima's gaze; that knowing look; those sharp eyes- they study him, just as Kuroo would do. 

Kuroo gives a half smile- a signal of  _i'm fine-_ and Terushima nods, turning back to Bokuto with a smile. 

* * *

 

Kuroo loves them.

He loves them when they're laughing, and he loves them when they're moaning. He loves them when they convince him to get matching tattoos, drunk, after a party. He loves them when  Terushima barfs on his brand new car seat. He loves them when Bokuto ignores his warning, and comes home with a tongue ring, Terushima proudly at his side. He loves them when they forget to pick up their socks and he loves them when they cry over a dead bird on the side of the road. 

Kuroo just really, really loves them. 

And they love him too. 

They love him when he fights with his mom, and slams the door so hard the handle pops off. They love him when he  paces back and forth at two in the morning, reciting math equations and singing the Quadratic Formula song. They love him when he drops his phone in the toilet and has to dip into their vacation funds to buy a new one. They love him when he's quiet, and they love him when he's loud. 

Cold toes wiggle against Kuroo's. The elder looks up, and sees Terushima, fast asleep in Bokuto's arms. Kuroo smiles, and props himself up on his elbows. He leans towards him, and presses a slow, warm kiss to the side of Terushima's face. 

"You're so soft." 

Kuroo looks up, and sees Bokuto looking at him through half lidded eyes. He's leaning up slightly to see over Terushima's shoulder. 

"Hm?" 

"You pretend to be such tough shit." Bokuto whispers, squeezing Terushima a little, "But really you're just a marshmallow." 

"Yeah." Kuroo shrugs, with a smile. He lays back down against the pillow,  "It took you how many years to figure this out?" 

Bokuto grins, eyes wrinkling a little at the corners, "Are you excited for tomorrow?" 

"Of course." Kuroo hums, "You know me. I'm always excited for tomorrow." 

"True." Bokuto smiles, "It's one of the reasons I love you." 

"Save it for tomorrow." Kuroo grins, "I can't wait to show up at that reunion and prove that we made it ten years." 

"I knew we would." 

"I know." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE LAST LINGO COUNT: 
> 
> dude: 10 
> 
> bro: 1
> 
> man: 1
> 
> thanks again guys ;o; i seriously didn't expect anyone to like this at all
> 
> if you like my writing, i have a bunch of drabbles written on my tumblr, as well as a bunch of other hq fics ive done, so hmu!! :))  
> (or not thats totally fine, ily)

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on [tumblr](http://zanimez.tumblr.com/)


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